SentinelLabs: technical substantiation lacking in Chinese cyberespionage attributions
The report follows last week’s news of China-linked threat actors hacking into US and Dutch infrastructure.
A report by SentinelLabs emphasises the absence of crucial technical evidence supporting China’s claims of Western hacking and espionage activities, particularly those attributed to Western nation state agencies. According to the report, this lack of technical evidence creates an asymmetry in data sharing that benefits China’s narrative.
The report suggests a shift in China’s strategy in 2021 after NATO, the UK, and the EU attributed the cyberattack on Microsoft Exchange Servers to China.
In response, China initiated a media campaign, increasingly highlighting alleged US hacking activities globally, the SentinelLabs researchers note. However, these reports continued to draw from leaked US government documents rather than presenting new technical analyses by Chinese companies.
Why does it matter?
The report comes in the wake of last week’s news, where China refuted allegations made by the USA and the Netherlands regarding hacking into their respective infrastructures. China countered by denying the accusations, noting that they are ‘production of the “Smear China” franchise, same made-up plot about “Chinese cyber attack”, same shoddiness’, and asserting that the USA holds the position of the world’s foremost hacking state.
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