SCMP: The biggest cyber security threat for China is India

The South China Morning Post highlighted on Friday that China's foremost cyber security concern doesn't stem from the U.S., its rival in global influence, but rather from India. Last year witnessed a significant cyber assault on the Chinese military, allegedly orchestrated by an Indian hacker group.

According to the SCMP report, Chinese security firms revealed that there were seven incidents attributed to the Indian hacker group 'Bitter' in 2022 and eight in 2023, targeting China, Pakistan, and Mongolia. “Despite the prevailing belief that cyber threats against China primarily originate from the U.S., a significant number of attacks originated from South Asian nations,” said a security expert in Beijing who preferred to remain anonymous to SCMP.

The cyber assault blocked by Chinese authorities against the military in December is suspected to have been orchestrated by 'Bitter.' Also known as 'Manlinghua,' this group has been active since November 2013. Cyber analysts attribute the attacks to India based on the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and linguistic patterns associated with 'Bitter.' The group has a track record of targeting governmental and military entities as well as the nuclear sector in Pakistan and China, allegedly with support from the Indian government. Their infiltration tactics vary from impersonating the Kyrgyz embassy to deploying phishing emails aimed at the Chinese nuclear industry.

The hacker group predominantly employs two strategies: 'spear phishing,' which focuses on individuals to pilfer sensitive data, and 'watering hole' attacks, where malicious code is injected into websites. While these attacks may not appear overtly destructive, experts caution that they can result in significant information breaches.

Despite the persistent cyber-attacks believed to originate from India, Chinese authorities have yet to issue an official response. Similarly, in November of last year, while criticism surfaced in India regarding escalating Chinese cyber attacks, Indian authorities also avoided explicitly naming China. Since the bloody clash along the Himalayan border in 2020, China and India, the world's two most populous nations, have continued to grapple with ongoing tensions. However, economically, they have maintained a complex relationship, expanding trade and engagement.


김보라 purple@donga.com