The Biden administration and the U.S.' allies today formally blamed China for hacking into Microsoft Exchange's email servers. The United States also asserted that criminal hackers associated with the Chinese government have carried out ransomware attacks on businesses around the world. This has the Chinese government again hitting out at the U.S. government.
{SOT}
A flurry of criticisms from the United States today as the Biden administration formally accused China of hacking into Microsoft Exchange's email servers back in March.
The accusations were not accompanied by sanctions against the Chinese government, but senior American officials termed the continuous cyberattacks by China "irresponsible behaviour in cyberspace."
The U.S. government highlighted the ongoing threat from Chinese hackers even as the administration remains dedicated to curbing ransomware attacks from Russia and China.
Meantime, during a news conference today, U.S. President Joe Biden said the U.S. government has yet to get to the bottom of the incident.
(Reporter: Effectively, your administration is naming and shaming China, but no sanctions. Why? And is that effective enough?)
Biden: "They're still determining exactly what happened. The investigation is not finished."
The United States yesterday announced charges against four Chinese nationals who were said to have targeted dozens of computer systems, including companies, universities, and government entities in the United States.
The U.S. government's actions are expected to add insult to injury amid a delicate time when the U.S. asserted that China has been cracking down on human rights among Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang.
In addition to bashing China for hacking into Microsoft's email servers, the Biden administration also advised American firms to take the risks of investing in Hong Kong seriously, in light of Beijing's crackdown on democratic freedoms it had pledged to respect.
And the U.S. is not alone. The European Union and Britain were among the U.S.' steadfast allies who hit out at the Chinese government. The European Union echoed Biden's view. It said cyberattacks, intellectual property theft, and espionage activities targeting government institutions, political organisations and key industries in the bloc's 27 member states must stop.
NATO also condemned China's move. It called on Beijing to uphold its international commitments, and said the alliance was dead set against tolerating cyber-espionage activities.
This has the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington crying foul. Liu Pengyu said the U.S. has repeatedly made malicious smear against China on cybersecurity. In a statement, Liu also criticised the U.S. for rumour-mongering and said China considers the U.S.' claims unfounded.
Comments