Photo by Kevin Ku
On Wednesday, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) reported that APT 27, a Chinese hacker group, has begun targeting German firms in the pharmaceuticals and technology sector.
These hackers are suspected to be the very same group that has launched attacks on Western government agencies.
Besides from nipping trade confidential files and intellectual property, the BfV warned in a roundabout to companies that the tech culprits may be attempting to access networks of customers and service providers to slip unto many firms at once, hitting a flock of birds with one stone.
The BfV indicated that the group’s acronym APT 27 is a byname for the Chinese hacker group called “Emissary Panda.” These individuals are perceived to aim at foreign embassies and vital sectors, according to the 2019 annual constitutional protection report.
The United States and its allies indicted China last year for committing a global cyberespionage movement. China has disclaimed the accusation.
Among the countries claiming allegations to China are the United States joined by NATO, the European Union, Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan and New Zealand. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the spying set forth “a major threat to our economic and national security.”
Concurrently, the US Department of Justice convicted four Chinese citizens – three security officers and one hacker – with targeting tens of companies, universities and government agencies in the US and overseas.
The allegations were “fabricated out of thin air” for political interests, said foreign ministry spokesman of China Zhao Lijian.
“China will absolutely not accept this,” he said in a news conference in Beijing. China does not immerse in cyberattacks, and the details handed over by Washington “do not constitute a complete chain of evidence,” he added.
The claims against China are “irresponsible” said Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Washington Chinese Embassy.
US President Joe Biden stated at an event about the administration’s infrastructure plan, “My understanding is that the Chinese government, not unlike the Russian government, is not doing this themselves, but are protecting those who are doing it. And maybe even accommodating them being able to do it.”
