Cybersecurity

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged four members of the Chinese military over a 2017 hacking into one of America’s largest credit reporting agencies and stealing the personal data of around half of all US citizens. The alleged hack of Atlanta-headquartered Equifax also allowed the hackers, determined by the DOJ to be members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), to obtain trade secrets related to the company’s database designs. “This was an organized and remarkably brazen criminal heist of sensitive information of nearly half of all Americans,” US General Attorney William Barr, unveiling the nine-count indictment, said on Monday. The four individuals alleged to have committed th

Facebook said on Tuesday that it would step up efforts to counter disinformation and state-backed influence operations ahead of the Taiwanese presidential election in January. While it does not control the self-ruled island, Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has sought its return to the mainland fold.  Taiwan’s authorities have reported an average of 30 million cross-border cyberattacks each month this year, with a sizeable number from the Chinese mainland suspected of trying to affect the result of the upcoming election. Facebook said its 35,000 worldwide staff will step up their efforts to check content and beef up security starting in mid-November, when the island’s presi

When it’s time for a selfie, many Chinese people would make a V-sign for the camera. V-for-victory is their way of saying cheese.   But this popular ritual could expose you to fingerprint theft, said a Chinese cybersecurity expert. Zhang Wei, the vice-director of the Shanghai Information Security Trade Association, said if held close enough to the camera, the picture could reveal a perfect fingerprint.  Photo magnifying and artificial intelligence-enhanced technologies make it possible to extract enough detail to make a perfect copy, he added.  Zhang said if a V-sign is photographed within 5 feet, fingerprints can be clearly extracted and copied. When extracted from photos, fingerprints cou

Chinese gamers trying to cheat their way to success have been scammed out of more than just a few loot boxes. Chinese authorities have arrested 20 people on suspicion of cryptojacking, in a case said to have affected more than a million computers and generated some $2.3 million in profits over two years. In cryptojacking, hackers use the processing power of unwitting participants’ computers to mine for cryptocurrency. Mining involves solving complex mathematical questions to earn currency, a process that is increasingly power- and processor-intensive. By piggybacking on others’ computers, cryptojackers are able to turn an easy – and free – profit. Chinese newspaper the Legal Daily reported

A China-based hacking group is waging an espionage campaign against a multitude of companies in the US and Southeast Asia. Cybersecurity firm Symantec has uncovered a China-based hacker group targeting firms ranging from a satellite communications operator, a geospatial imaging organization, telecoms operators and a defense contractor. Symantec concluded that the hackers are a China-based group called Thrip. It says the motives behind the hacks are likely to be espionage-related, but it has also noted that the pattern of the hacks leaves its targets open to more aggressive tactics. “Given the group has revealed a strategy of compromising operational systems, it could adopt a more aggressive,

Facebook has active partnerships with four Chinese phone makers that give them special access to social media users’ data, the company said on Wednesday. The announcement has drawn further scrutiny to the social media company because the phone makers include Huawei, a telecoms conglomerate with ties to China’s government that US intelligence agencies consider to pose national security risks. Facebook disclosed the Chinese partnerships after a New York Times report on Sunday raised concerns that Facebook had compromised users’ privacy by allowing around 60 partners to access extensive user information. Special access The access to user data, which is available to partners including the likes

Currently underway in Austin, Texas, the South by Southwest festival gives the globe a peek at the future of music, film and tech. Inkstone is adding to the conversation in a series about Chinese scientists working on breakthroughs that could revolutionize everyday life. Today, we take a look at a team of scientists building an “unhackable” internet. So what makes it unhackable? Quantum broadband.  This technology, which uses quantum mechanics rather than the binary logic that currently powers our digital technology, has been discussed and developed for decades – but it's still in its infancy.  Quantum computing works by sending information about miniscule particules – for example, the exact

Australian officials are cutting ties to China’s most popular social media platform. Staff members at Australia’s Department of Defence are no longer allowed to download and use the WeChat app on their work phones. The department confirmed the ban with the Australian Financial Review, saying that it does not “provide or support the use of unauthorized software.” The department has not replied to a request for comment from Inkstone. Owned by Chinese internet conglomerate Tencent, WeChat is an all-in-one app, combining the features of Facebook and WhatsApp as well as an electronic payment system. It now has one billion monthly user accounts. Experts say it is not unusual for a defense departm