U.S. was the leader in cyber security but lost it to China: China is the latest country to flex its economic might with a cyber attack. The U.S. was the leader in cyber security but lost it to China, which has become one of the world’s biggest hacking powers, according to a report released Monday by cybersecurity firm Mandiant and analysis firm FireEye. “China has been the leading country in terms of cyber espionage against the U.S.” said John Hultquist, manager of intelligence at FireEye. “It’s been an aggressive effort.”
Mandiant said it found evidence that hackers associated with China have stolen data from 141 companies, including defense contractors and technology giants such as Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL), IBM (IBM) and Microsoft (MSFT). The report also said those companies faced hundreds of attacks from Chinese hackers each month over an 18-month period ending in 2012. The report comes amid increased tensions between Beijing and Washington over a U.S.-led program to block access to websites that host pirated movies and music files. China has accused the United States of hypocrisy for cracking down on illegal downloads while itself allowing its citizens to download content without paying fees or getting permission from creators
China has invested $3 billion into cyber security:
China has invested $3 billion into cyber security over the past three years and will expand its efforts to counter attacks by foreign powers, a senior official said on Tuesday. The government is also strengthening its ability to defend against cyber attacks, and has made it a top priority in its annual work report, Vice Premier Liu He told a forum at the Boao Forum for Asia in southern China’s Hainan province. “The Chinese government attaches great importance to the issue of cyber security and has made it a strategic focus,” he said. “We will continue to develop our capabilities and make a stronger contribution to national security.”
9 out of 10 attacks on companies are from china:
The FBI says that the majority of cyber attacks on U.S. companies come from China, but it’s not clear how many attacks originate there. The Chinese government has been accused of conducting cyberespionage against the US government, military and aerospace industries. In the recent years a report by the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive said that China is the most aggressive foreign actor in cyberspying against US companies and the US economy.The Office of Personnel Management hack is believed to have originated in China and may be linked to a broader campaign by Chinese intelligence to steal data from American companies.
The U.S. spent $10 billion on cyber security:
The U.S. spent $10 billion on cyber security in 2016, according to a report released by the National Security Agency (NSA).The report is part of the agency’s annual Cybersecurity Mission Force, which provides an overview of its activities and investments for the year. The spending data included the amount spent on tools and technologies for protecting networks from attacks, as well as personnel costs for training and certifications, according to NSA spokesperson Ryan Anderson. The NSA has been working to protect government networks from hackers since it was created in 1952, but it wasn’t until 2001 that it began focusing on cybersecurity as a top priority. Since then it has invested billions of dollars into research and development projects to develop new tools and technologies that can protect government systems from online attacks.
According to some, the U.S. does not have the infrastructure for educating cyber security experts: The United States has a long way to go before it can produce a sufficient number of cyber security experts. The country’s education system is not equipped to educate people in this field, according to several experts interviewed by The Washington Post. “The United States has been slow to recognize that cybersecurity is a threat,” said David Evans, a cybersecurity expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former director of cybersecurity at the National Security Agency. “We’re just now starting to build up our capacity.” Cybersecurity experts say they need more resources and training to develop new talent in this field. “We need more professionals who understand how technology works,” said Stephen Rademaker, CEO of CyberX, which trains computer scientists for jobs in cybersecurity.
Final Verdict: China is leading the way in cyber security and is rapidly emerging as a top player in this field
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