The Global Footprint of Chinese Cyber Warfare and Espionage

Turning the pages of history concerning the gradual progress of humankind, right from the ancient to the modern world, a common connecting link can be found. It is called War. But what makes this fact more interesting is the perpetually changing nature of war. It is an expression of numerous variables of history and their complex combination in which war plays a major role that cannot be undermined.

Theoretically, the epistemological framework of wars has been categorised into five generations. The present-day modern world is witnessing 5th-generation warfare. It relies heavily on the weaponisation of cyberspace and the magnanimous data generated by various States. Every imaginable fact that can be noted, quantified and stored digitally can be considered potential data. This all-encompassing and pervasive nature makes data a crucial asset of a state. This asset, if compromised due to a lack of security, can cause severe damage.

Cyberwarfare, in this regard, is a phenomenon that uses this cyberspace which is primarily a realm of data, by states and non-states actors to spy or block access to critical data stored online. This is followed by demanding a ransom from the victim for access to data, often compromising the confidentiality, privacy and security of individuals and states.

China is a prominent actor in world politics that has significantly used cyberwar as an instrument of state policy. It follows in letter and spirit the philosophical ideas shared by Sun Tzu in his famous book ‘The Art Of War‘ as a road map to achieve political gains. The strategic approach of China is dovetailed with the core philosophy of Sun Tsu. He says in his book, “To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” China is striving to inflict maximum damage to its adversaries by facing minimum or no loss on its part through the strategic application of cyber war.

The dual task of frequent cyber attacks and espionage by the Chinese is materialised through a state-sponsored hacking group institutionalised by Bejing. It is called the APT41. The alleged group works hands and gloves with the Chinese Ministry of State Security. The group is accused of unauthorised access to protected computers, stealing highly confidential information and data from government and private enterprises, money laundering, and theft of identity. The Chinese have followed a worldwide approach to targeting major countries across the globe. This article discusses five such countries.

India.

The recent cyber attack on AIIMS Delhi is an emblematic expression of China’s desperate move to inflict harm on its adversaries. The origin of the attack was traced to Hong Kong. In this attack, out of the 100 servers, 40 were physical, and 60 were virtual. The hackers were able to penetrate five servers. The servers were rendered dysfunctional by the hackers. Fortunately, it was reported that the data was recovered. The CERTin has instigated a thorough investigation on this issue along with NIA.

In a similar instance, the Galwan clash vis-a-vis India and China and the Mumbai blackout that took place in October 2020 are also profoundly linked. It was found that the blackout was a case of cyber attack induced by China as a strategic response to the Galwan Valley incident. China, through this measure, attempted to send a clear signal of its cyber capabilities to India. It was a warning that if India ups the ante in border clashes, then its major cities could come to a standstill.

The United States

A recent disclosure by the US government found that a whopping $20 million was stolen by hackers that had close affiliations with the Chinese government. This money was associated with the U.S . Covid relief benefit and is one of the first pandemic frauds that was initiated by the Chinese as an instrument of state policy.

The U.S. has also been a witness to the Microsoft exchange cyber attack by China. The incident was a testimonial to the fact that how the Chinese government is following the realist approach to world politics. This incident was condemned by the UK, Canada and NATO in unison.

The issue of cyber espionage as a long-term goal of the Chinese government shows the gravity of the situation. Beijing has resorted to these measures to gain leverage in the changing geopolitical scenarios. It strongly considers the U.S. as a major hurdle to achieving its political leverage at the international level.

Russia

Despite being a strong partner and sharing a deep relationship with Russia, China has attempted cyberspying on Russia. The Israeli-American cybersecurity firm named Check Point made a remark in this regard. Emails containing malware were sent to prominent scientists of major military research institutes in Russia to gain access to technology and information.

The Xi era in China has witnessed a sharp rise in cyber espionage, theft of information and intellectual property with the use of highly sophisticated technology by the Chinese. The state-sponsored nature of these acts further complicates the issue. The prime motive of the Chinese is to gain a strategic advantage in the realms of data and military capabilities.

The U.K.

The Chinese government’s exploitation of the technological ecosystem to gain a strategic advantage is not new. This is rightly addressed by the director of GCHQ, Jeremy Fleming, in a rare public speech at the Royal United Service, a prominent think tank. He states that China’s rise is increasingly becoming a major security issue.

The conventional ideas of war have been challenged, and the battleground has shifted to cyberspace. Due to its technical clout, China has become a significant threat to other states in cyberspace due to increasing cyber espionage activities. This issue is addressed in the latest report by NCSC, which warned that Chinese state-sponsored hackers are the biggest security threat to the U.K.

Australia

Following a global approach, the Chinese have also placed their malicious virtual footprint in Australia. The quest was to seek vital information about the Australian defence and energy.

Proofpoint, an American cyber security firm, unfolded about the “Red Ladon” (TA423) group linked to China that was involved in a fake Australian publication. The group infected the employees’ computers with malware to snoop into confidential information.

A phishing scam was reported, and it was found that the Chinese government were striving to decipher information related to the South China Sea in areas of defence, navy and energy. With the desire to keep itself abreast of the strategic changes, the Chinese have tried to gain access to sensitive information.

Conclusion

Carl Von Clausewitz states, “War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means.” The Chinese have used cyberspace to carry out political intercourse through other means.

Undoubtedly, China is following a panoramic approach worldwide concerning cyberspace. Its footprint is prominently visible across the globe, covering most of the major states that are key players in the international forum. The increasing weaponisation of data and cyberspace by China is certainly a major threat to India’s national security on multiple fronts.

The use of espionage and cyberspace for prospective cyberwar shows the critical importance of protecting data rapidly turning into a nation’s strategic asset. The swift-changing nature of war with the prime focus on data emphasises how the vulnerabilities in the protection and management of it can be used as a loophole left to be easily exploited by other states to gain strategic advantage. This stands very specific with respect to China and its approach to exploiting cyberspace.