This Day, That Year
40 years on
Editor’s Note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy.
On Feb 7, 2007, police arrested eight people suspected of producing and disseminating the computer virus, Panda Burning Incense.
It was the first case related to the spreading of computer viruses in China.
Created by Li Jun, a 25-year-old hacker from Wuhan, Hubei province, the virus hit millions of computers across the country since November 2006.
With the growing popularity of the internet, cyber attacks and data breaches are becoming more frequent, invasive and devastating.
In the first 10 months last year, China was hit by about 17.5 million cyberattacks, most of them from overseas, according to the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team and Coordination Center, the country’s top security risk-monitoring authority.
In May, the ransomware virus WannaCry affected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries and regions. It encrypted data on the computers, demanding payments of up to $600 to restore access.
Millions of IPs in China were attacked.
On June 27, China announced an emergency response plan for cybersecurity incidents to prevent and reduce the damage inflicted by them, protect public interest and safeguard national security.
The country’s first Cybersecurity Law came into effect in June to secure cyberspace and protect citizens against data theft.
In March, the country issued its first strategic report on cyber issues — The International Strategy of Cooperation on Cyberspace — aiming to jointly build a community of a shared future in cyberspace.