The United States on Monday (July 19) accused Beijing of carrying out a large-scale hacking of Microsoft’s email servers, and in a rare joint statement with the European Union and other allies to condemn “malicious” online activities from China, and accused four Chinese citizens.
China severely denied these allegations on Tuesday, retorting that Washington is the “world champion” of cyberattacks, and furious at condemning American allies to join the United States.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the attack on Microsoft Exchange, the world’s top corporate email server, is “part of the irresponsible, destructive and destabilizing behavior of cyberspace, which is critical to our economy and national security. Constitutes a major threat”. . “
Brinken said in a statement that China’s Ministry of National Security (MSS) “bred an ecosystem of criminal contract hackers who carried out state-sponsored activities and cybercrimes for their own financial interests.”
The U.S. Department of Justice also issued an announcement stating that four Chinese citizens were accused of hacking the computers of dozens of companies, universities, and government agencies in the U.S. and abroad from 2011 to 2018.
When referring to the indictment, Brinken stated that the United States “will impose consequences on the irresponsible behavior of (Chinese) malicious cyber actors in cyberspace.”
President Joe Biden told reporters that the United States is still completing its investigation before taking any countermeasures, and is on par with the dark but prolific cybercrime that Western officials blame on Russia.
Biden told reporters: “Unlike the Russian government, the Chinese government does not do this on its own, but protects those who are doing it, and may even facilitate them to do this.”
In a step that the Biden administration praised as an unprecedented step, the United States on Monday coordinated its statement with allies—the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, and NATO.
The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand quickly refuted the “baseless and irresponsible” allegations.
It has the support of the Australian Embassy because China has adopted its own coordinated stance, accusing Canberra of “imitating American speech.”
“As we all know, the United States has carried out unscrupulous, large-scale and indiscriminate wiretapping of many countries, including its allies,” the embassy said in a statement.
“It is the world champion of malicious cyber attacks.”
NATO unity
Like his predecessor Donald Trump, Biden has increased the pressure on China, believing that the rising Asian power’s increasingly tough moves at home and abroad are a major long-term threat to the United States.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called the cyber attack “reckless”, and the allies supported a severe condemnation of China.
NATO expressed “unity” for Microsoft’s hacking without direct accusations, and pointed out that the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada allies believe that China is responsible for this.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that this is the first time NATO has condemned cyber activities from China. NATO members include Hungary and Turkey, and relations with Beijing are relatively friendly.
A few weeks ago, NATO discussed the China issue at a summit attended by Biden.
“We know that we will become stronger, and we know that we will be more effective when we act collectively,” Price said, adding that the United States does not rule out the possibility of further action.
Biden’s pledge to adopt an alliance-driven strategy against Beijing is in stark contrast to Trump’s preference for harsh rhetoric.
Billions of losses
Frank Westlufo, director of the McRae Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University, praised the “breadth and depth of international cooperation” and clearly put the blame on China.
“In addition to prosecution, we also need to follow up to ensure that there is an impact, so as to prompt changes in the Chinese government’s behavior, and hopefully move towards a level playing field on the Internet,” he said.
Microsoft hackers used flaws in the Microsoft Exchange service to affect at least 30,000 U.S. organizations, including local governments and global organizations.
“Responsible countries will not indiscriminately endanger global cybersecurity, nor will they deliberately harbor cybercriminals-let alone sponsor or cooperate with them,” Brinken said in a statement.
“These contract hackers cost governments and companies billions of dollars in stolen intellectual property, ransom payments, and cybersecurity mitigation work, but MSS puts them on the payroll.”
Allegations of cyber attacks against the United States have recently focused on Russia, not China.
US officials said that many of the attacks came from Russia, even though they have been arguing about the degree of state involvement. Russia denies responsibility.
A series of prominent ransomware attacks occurred this year, disrupting Kaseya, a major U.S. pipeline, meat processor, and software company, and affecting 1,500 companies.
Last week, Washington provided $10 million to obtain information about foreign online blackmailers.
