Chinese Documentary Proves State Military University Is Hacking US Targets
Chinese Documentary Proves State Military University Is Hacking US Targets
Posted 08/23/2011 at 11:27am
| by Brad Chacos
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There’s more news from the China front today, but this tidbit is a little more sinister than a dry piece on PC sales numbers. For a long time, the Chinese government has been rumored to be the hidden hand behind cyber attacks across the world. They’ve always denied any wrongdoing. But now, it appears that a Chinese military propaganda documentary has inadvertently (or not) tipped China’s hand and shown proof of the nation’s role in hack attacks.
The military documentary aired in mid-July, according to Geek.com and the Epoch Times. The footage in question lasts approximately six seconds. It seems to show a piece of custom software whipped up by the Electrical Engineering University of China’s People’s Liberation Army being used to conduct an attack against Minghui.org, a website maintained by the Falun Gong spiritual group. China’s government has repeatedly cracked down on the organization in the past. Minghui.org was selected from a drop-down menu titled “Choose Attack Target” that contained a list called “Falun Gong website list.”
As if that weren’t damning enough, the attack is carried out against a US-based IP address, which is clearly visible in the video. The IP address, 138.26.72.17, belongs to the University of Alabama at Birmingham – a US school. After the IP address and attack target are entered, a big button labeled “Attack” is clicked before the screen fades away.
This seems to be direct evidence (or a well-placed, if odd, bluff) that a top Chinese military university is engaging in cyber warfare against political dissidents and US-based civil websites. You can check out a clip of the software in question on YouTube.
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RUSENSITIVESWEETNESS
August 24, 2011 at 2:42pm
I think most of the raging comes from the Chinese dudes spamming this site with illiterate, black market, knock-off web ads.
We having great reputations! Many satifies customers!
TechLarry
August 24, 2011 at 6:04am
We'll just continue to send them our labor needs, manufacturing, and jobs. Who cares about the hacking, the will own us in a few more years anyway.
If not already.
China - The best country the US has ever buit.
win7fanboi
August 24, 2011 at 5:33am
In other news, water is wet... they have been f^#$!@ing with us for years... stealing secrets, etc.... anyone high up in dod knows this. They have also been hacking google, gmail accounts (using spearfishing, etc). They also do the same against dalai lama's followers. It's one messed up country... there I said it... sue me.
d3v
August 24, 2011 at 5:01am
Wow a screenshot. Big button with attack written on it! This is so convincing!
BTW did they make the mock screen in 2 minutes using visual basic or something?
TerribleToaster
August 24, 2011 at 6:02am
It's a screenshot from the linked video that they talked about for the entire article. Granted that the video could have been faked (though the fact that it was released by the Chinese in a promotional video, regardless of whether it's real or not, is pretty damning), it would have been nice if you read the article before mocking it.
Suijen
August 24, 2011 at 2:23am
The Chinese military does hack the US.
We also hack them and spy on them.
Both sides DO collect intelligence on each other. Will this continue? Yes. The best thing the US can do is improve its own internal security.
Meat
August 24, 2011 at 12:01am
"Can't we all just get along?" - Rodney King
or
"Kill them all, let God sort it out." - US Marines
Either way.
fellowleo
August 23, 2011 at 1:57pm
Yes... we should believe everything we see on video. You try to bring evidence like this to a US court, not only would they throw the case out, but they make you pay for the defense lawyers. I whole heartly believe that they are hacking us, but come on, this is pretty thin...
Slugbait
August 23, 2011 at 3:16pm
A US Court once let Microsoft introduce a video as evidence. Not only was the case not thrown out, it ended as a landmark case...partly due to the video itself.
Nimrod
August 23, 2011 at 2:52pm
Are you fucking retarded or some thing? First of all, alls they would have to do is parse the logs from the IP in question to know if it were true or not.
Second, its not a fucking secret that China has been attacking the US for over a decade. The only reason the military doesnt talk about it is because of political reprocussions.
Nimrod
August 23, 2011 at 7:28pm
actually i do. i also know that they can trace a ping right back to its source no matter how many proxies they use.
And BTW im sure that any attack such as a DoS would be extremely effective over the super fast Tor network.
/sar
rredline
August 23, 2011 at 1:29pm
These thing can be easily programmed by other people, for example the Taiwanese or even the US military.
Do you really think US military are all Saints, that they do not attack other nation's cybernetwork? The truth is they have even openly formed a cyberattack team within the military group.
The US ip proved the usual claims, that the US secretly/openly supports rebellions for their own interest.
And who is the one who murdered the Iranian nuclear scientist?
Brad, think about it when you are attacking others while you are not clean either.
TerribleToaster
August 23, 2011 at 3:15pm
I'd address all your conspiracy theories if they did; in anyway, somehow, absolve China of their own crimes. But since, NO MATTER WHAT other countries do, CHINA IS STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR CHINA, it doesn't matter.
So trying to defend China by accusing Brad of crimes that a government commits (which is curious, because as far as I know, Brad isn't a rep of the USA, or any government entity, so you really can't blame him for anything they do) does not, in anyway, absolve China of any crimes it commits, nor means Brad cannot bring them to light.
I don't see why this is so upsetting to you, you aren't China are you?
Just sayin.
rredline
August 23, 2011 at 4:13pm
If you check the history of MaxPC news, you will realise that Brad is unusually interested in China's cyber conspiracy news, trying to prove that only he is right and whatever thing that yellow skin people did is wrong.
To get the truth, you really have to hear the stories from both side.
Nimrod
August 23, 2011 at 7:30pm
yeah and it sounds like you decided that the "yellow skin" side is always right. Even if they them selvs are claim to be attacking US targets, its racist to report it. Right?
Fuck off.
Brad Chacos
August 23, 2011 at 6:20pm
Hi rredline,
I'm not going to hop too far into this, but I'm sorry if you feel this way. I have nothing against the Chinese; I've count several Chinese immigrants among my friends, and have Chinese people in my extended family. I'm just as likely to write about positive Chinese stories, like today's PC sales news or their Petaflop-pushing supercomputer, and I've written about US thought-policing attempts and domain seizures, British social media blackouts and Syria internet blockages as well. I've written about the UN denouncing three strikes laws in France and England, and US ISPs hijacking search queries. So, everyone's fair game. If it's news, I write about it.
Oh yeah, I liked this story for the oops factor. Those tickle my fancy, too.
And that's all I'm gonna say about that.
rredline
August 23, 2011 at 9:26pm
Brad, bear in mind that I have full respect to MaxPC tech editors for giving us interesting news everyday.
Some of the conspiracy news on the web are actually pure speculation without prove or with artificial evidence or even completely fake. My input was just to ensure that readers would not be misleaded by those fake news source, which was created with some purpose. It is fine to make fun on some of the unproved news and this is what make MaxPC fun to read but if your input supports the unproved claims it will be against the spirit of tech.
Let pass over this argument and we look forward to read more interesting tech news from you in future.
Regards.
echO_W
August 23, 2011 at 12:13pm
I'm not saying China isn't responsible for Cyber attacks, it probably is.
However, the source cited, is The Epoch Times. It is a news source with strong ties to the Falun Gong, and may not be the most objective news source when it comes to China, and China-Falun Gong conflict.
An example is that during a press conference at the White House, an Epoch Times reporter who was credentialed to cover the Chinese president at the White House, yelled and screamed at the Chinese president and disrupted the press conference/meeting.
TommM
August 23, 2011 at 11:33am
Interesting, but don't think we needed any video proof that the Chinese government is sponsoring a whole lotta hacking. ;)
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