GOV

LAST month, US President Barack Obama issued an executive order to bolster his nation’s cyber-defenses, a move unpopular with some hacker movements and civil society advocates, eagerly awaited by many, and considered insufficient by some experts.
 

China has apparently added a unique new weapon to its sprawling arsenal. A new report from U.S. security company Mandiant reveals a new Chinese military unit dedicated to carrying out hacking attacks against Western targets that include major corporations and industries. Such a move is almost unprecedented and exemplifies how conflict is evolving into the digital realm. It has become all too easy for a hostile nation to target another's infrastructure though the internet.

The White House and Congress are said to be planning new cybersecurity legislation, rumored to be announced this week, as intelligence reports suggest a cyberespionage campaign is taking aim at the country’s economic competitiveness.

The National Intelligence Estimate cited China as the main country responsible for hacking into secure U.S. institutional and business computer networks to obtain data or information illegally for financial gain. The current attempt to breach U.S. computer security is so large, in fact, the Washington Post calls the endeavor “massive and sustained.”