CHINA STRIKES IN CYBERWAR
Hackers heist intel on Navy weapons
ChinChinese government hackers broke into a US Navy contractor’s computers and stole a trove of data — including secret plans to develop a supersonic anti-ship missilmissile that US subs hoped to carry by 2020, according to a report Friday. The hacks took place in January and Februaryruary and targeted an unidentified contractotractor who works for the Naval Undersea WarfaWarfare Center in Newport, RI, the Washingtoington Post reported, citing US officials. ThThe center conducts research and develovelopment for submarines and underwatwater weaponry. TThe stolen data included secret infoformation about a project known as Sea Dragon, as well as cryptographic systems and the Navy submarine developmentv unit’s electronic warfare library,lib the paper reported. The cyber attacks were part of China’s effort to become the dominant sea power in the Asian Pacific, and came as President Trump relies on Chinese President Xi Jinping to help negotiate an end to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Trump lavished praise on his Chinese counterpart in April. “I want to thank publicly President Xi of China, who has done more for us than he’s done for any other administration, or than any leader of China has done for any president or administration,” he said then.
The Navy and the FBI are leading the investigation into the cybercrime.
“There are measures in place that require companies to notify the government when a ‘cyber incident’ has occurred that has actual or potential adverse effects on their networks that contain controlled unclassified information,” Navy spokesman Cmdr. Bill Speaks said, adding “it would be inappropriate to discuss further details at this time.”
Overall, details about hundreds of mechanical and software systems were compromised in a serious breach, as China builds up its own Navy and military while challenging US dominance.
The country claims disputed coral reefs and islands in the South China Sea and has built them up into military installations despite widespread condemnation from other nations.
The Sea Dragon project was launched by a special Pentagon office created in 2012 to improve existing US military technologies. The Defense Department released little information about Sea Dragon other than to say that it would introduce a “disruptive offensive capability” by “integrating an existing weapon system with an existing Navy platform,” the paper reported.
The Pentagon has asked for or spent more than $300 million for the project since late 2015 and said it planned to begin underwater testing by September.
Military experts fear that China could now develop capabilities that could hamper the Navy’s ability to defend US allies in Asia like Japan and South Korea in the event of an armed conflict with the Chinese.