PrintMarch 29, 2009
Is Your Computer Safe from the Chinese?
According to an AP report the Chinese have broken into the computers of companies, individuals, and governments in at least 103 countries.
We already know they have broken into our government’s computer on several occasions -- including those of the US Congress.
If the Chinese can hack the Dalai Lama’s computer … then they can get into yours and mine. Here is what the NYT had to say:
A vast electronic spying operation has infiltrated computers and has stolen documents from hundreds of government and private offices around the world, including those of the Dalai Lama, Canadian researchers have concluded.
The researchers, who are based at the Munk Center for International Studies at the University of Toronto, had been asked by the office of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader whom China regularly denounces, to examine its computers for signs of malicious software, or malware.
Their sleuthing opened a window into a broader operation that, in less than two years, has infiltrated at least 1,295 computers in 103 countries, including many belonging to embassies, foreign ministries and other government offices, as well as the Dalai Lama's Tibetan exile centers in India, Brussels, London and New York.
The researchers, who are based at the Munk Center for International Studies at the University of Toronto, had been asked by the office of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader whom China regularly denounces, to examine its computers for signs of malicious software, or malware.
Their sleuthing opened a window into a broader operation that, in less than two years, has infiltrated at least 1,295 computers in 103 countries, including many belonging to embassies, foreign ministries and other government offices, as well as the Dalai Lama's Tibetan exile centers in India, Brussels, London and New York.
The Obama administration’s “smart power” diplomacy needs to get a lot smarter. They should probably add a few more computer techs to build some better firewalls for our government's computer systems -- instead of bicycle paths -- in the next stimulus bill.
Meanwhile … your emails to grandma might be getting translated into Chinese.
Hat tip: my wife
