Chinese cyber security experts believe that U.S.-based hackers were responsible for a significant increase in cyber attacks on computers within China’s borders in 2013, according to Reuters.
According to China’s National Computer Network Emergency Response Coordination Centre, 15,000 computers were hit by Trojan Horse malware and 61,000 websites were attacked by hackers located outside of China. These statistics represent a 62 percent increase in 2013 compared with 2012.
“There are frequent occurrences of state-level organized internet hacking attacks, and some of our country’s important internet information systems have been penetrated,” the security agency said.
The agency also asserts that more than 11 million computers were compromised by cyber attacks that originated overseas. The majority of those crimes reportedly came from South Korea, Hong Kong and the U.S., though the agency also said that U.S-based attacks accounted for one third of the intrusions that came from abroad.
This comes after reports surfaced that the NSA had been spying on Chinese hardware manufacturer Huawei, with U.S. government officials fearing that penetration by Huawei into the U.S. could be a threat to national security.
According to a separate Reuters report, the China’s Defence Ministry has announced plans to strengthen their cyber security measures after reports of U.S. intrusions into Huawei’s networks came to light.
