According to a recent report published by the New York TimesChinese hackers attempted to steal security data in Russian military institutes in March 2022. The investigation shows that these cybercriminals are supported by the Chinese government.
Beijing-backed hackers attack Russia
On March 23, 2022, a month after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Beijing-backed hackers sent emails containing links to malware to scientists and engineers working on behalf of several Russian military institutes. According to the report, these emails appeared to be sent by the Russian Ministry of Health. On the surface, they seemed to contain some interesting information. In reality, the goal was to trick Russians into downloading and opening a document containing malware.
Doctolib does not fully encrypt the personal health data of its users
The report shows that despite the close ties between Beijing and Moscow, the Chinese government believes that Russia is “a legitimate target for the theft of sensitive military technological information”. After coming together in solidarity against a common enemy (the United States), China and Russia could therefore find themselves back to back. According to cybersecurity firm Check Point, Chinese cyber espionage against Russia actually began in July 2021, a few months before Russia announced its “special operation” in Ukraine and that it does not turn into a full-scale armed conflict.
China, this free electron
According to Itay Cohen, Head of Research at Check Point, the March 2022 attack was “very sophisticated”. He added that it demonstrated abilities “usually reserved for state-backed intelligence services”. The hackers used methods and code similar to those used in previous attacks, attributed to Beijing-affiliated hacker groups. Over the past ten years, Xi Jinping has strengthened his country’s cyber capabilities. China is now one of the best equipped countries on the subject.
This cyberattack shows that Beijing’s strategy is to obtain strategic information to achieve a goal of technological superiority and military power. On the other hand, it is not because the hackers supported by Beijing are attacking Russia that they have chosen their camp. No, because these same pirates went to Ukraine a few months earlier. A hacker group known as Scarab reportedly sent a document to several Ukrainian institutions offering instructions on “how to film evidence of Russian war crimes”. This too was a trap.