BEIJING — Google’s accusation that its e-mail accounts were hacked from China landed like a bombshell because it cast light on a problem that few companies will discuss: the pervasive threat from China-based cyberattacks.
The hacking that angered Google and hit dozens of other businesses adds to growing concern that China is a center for a global explosion of Internet crimes, part of a rash of attacks aimed at a wide array of targets, from a British military contractor to banks and chemical companies to a California software maker.
The government denies it is involved. But experts say the highly skilled attacks suggest the military — a leader in cyberwarfare research — or other government agencies might be breaking into computers to steal technology and trade secrets to help state companies.
“Chinese hacking activity is significant in quantity and quality,” said Sami Saydjari, president of the consulting firm Cyber Defense Agency and a former U.S. National Security Agency official.
Officials in the U.S., Germany and Britain say hackers linked to China’s military have broken into government systems. But attacks on commercial interests receive less attention because victims rarely come forward.
Google was the exception when it announced Jan. 12 that attacks hit it and at least 20 other companies. Google says it has “conclusive evidence” the attacks came from China but declined to say whether the government was involved. Google cited the attacks and attempts to snoop on dissidents in announcing that it would stop censoring results on its China- based search engine and leave the country if the government does not loosen restrictions.
Only two other companies have disclosed they were targets in that attack — software maker Adobe Systems and Web host Rackspace.
Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at Finnish security software maker F-Secure, said his company has detected about 24 attacks originating from China each month since 2005.
“There must be much more that go completely undetected,” he said.
