Spies, Hackers, Informants: How China Snoops on the West

From securityweek.com

British authorities have arrested a man who reportedly spied for China at the heart of the government in London, sparking fresh fears over how Beijing gathers intelligence.

The incident follows allegations earlier this year that China flew a surveillance balloon over the United States, causing a diplomatic furore.

Here are some of the ways China has worked to spy on the West in recent years:

Cyber warfare

The United States warned in 2022 that the Asian giant represents “the broadest, most active, and persistent cyber espionage threat” to its government and private sector.

According to researchers and Western intelligence officials, China has become adept at hacking rival nations’ digital systems to gather trade secrets.

In 2021, the United States, NATO and other allies said China had employed “contract hackers” to exploit a breach in Microsoft email systems, giving state security agents access to sensitive information.

Read more…