The New York Times has been hit with four months of online attacks by Chinese hackers, the paper reports. Following Times reporting on the wealth of Chinese PM Wen Jiabao’s family, hackers were able to enter the newspaper’s computer systems, diving into the email accounts of two Asia bureau chiefs. Now, however, hackers have been driven out by computer experts working for the Times. No customer data was taken, nor was there any “evidence that sensitive emails or files” from the Wen reporting were “accessed, downloaded, or copied,” says the paper’s executive editor.
China calls claims of the attack “unprofessional and baseless.” But experts point to China as the culprit based on the type of malware that was used in the attack. Analysts also note that the hacking was routed through the same university computers China’s military has used to target the US military. China seems to be launching cyberattacks on a widening range of US targets, from media companies to corporations to the government. Experts tell the Times that it’s not just a matter of gathering useful intelligence: Beijing is also concerned about its public image.
