The relationship between China and the United States has deteriorated since the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was combined with cyber-attacks that were believed to be thanks to Russian or Chinese hackers.
Both countries are to blame for different attacks, and the White House has made this clear in a recent statement. The Biden Administration is formally accusing China of the attack on Microsoft’s Exchange email server.
This attack compromised information on tens of thousands of computers globally, and it gave hackers information to confidential data. The announcement was made on Monday. It coincided with the Department of Justice declaring that a federal grand jury ruling the Chinese were responsible for various other attacks on United States companies, universities, and governments’ computer systems.
The Microsoft attacks were the main topic discussed by the Biden Administration on Monday.
It allegedly began in January when hackers started using malware on computers owned by small businesses and state governments. The malware injections increased in intensity over time before the United States identified the issues.
The attack also included a massive ransom demand from Chinese attackers. This information was given by a senior Biden Administration official as well.
United States Allies Coming Together Against China
There are very few countries that respect China following the COVID-19 outbreak. Many countries joined the United States before the nation was made aware of the White House’s allegations against China.
America has been joined by European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, and NATO to reprimand China’s Ministry of State Security, who was believed to be aware of the attacks.
NATO is an alliance of 30 member countries between Europe and North America. The NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg declared that the alliance “stands in solidarity with all those affected by malicious cyber activities, including the Microsoft Exchange Server compromise. We call on all states, including China, to uphold their international obligations & act responsibly.”
The cyberattacks from China and Russia have caused animosity that resembles the hatred during the Cold War. Cyberspace is creating a war zone, and these will likely intensify moving forward, despite the accusations from the White House.
Criminal Contract Hackers
According to the Biden Administration, the hackers were employed to take down American computer systems. China’s Ministry of State Security employed criminal contract hackers to take down computer systems around the world.
The profits went to the hackers, and the Ministry of State was able to create havoc globally. Russian hackers were not believed to be hired by the Kremlin, but this attempt by the Chinese is a blatant sign of disrespect to western nations.
The United States was not happy, and that’s why the White House formally accused the Chinese. The Biden Administration has details of the entire scandal.
The senior official said:
“Their operations include criminal activities, such as cyber-enabled extortion, crypto-jacking, and theft from victims around the world for financial gain. In some cases, we’re aware of reports that PRC government-affiliated cyber operators have conducted ransomware operations against private companies that have included ransom demands of millions of dollars.”
There have been no sanctions declared, but the accusation is a formal warning to the Chinese.
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