Brits Warned on Chinese Cyber-Spying

(UK) Jonathan Evans, head of the British domestic intelligence agency MI5, has officially notified key members of the UK economy that China is actively engaged in espionage of computer networks.

The Government has openly accused China of carrying out state-sponsored espionage against vital parts of Britain's economy, including the computer systems of big banks and financial services firms.

In an unprecedented alert, the Director-General of MI5 sent a confidential letter to 300 chief executives and security chiefs at banks, accountants and legal firms this week warning them that they were under attack from "Chinese state organisations". It is believed to be the first time that the Government has directly accused China of involvement in web-based espionage.

Such a blunt and explicit warning from Jonathan Evans could have serious diplomatic consequences and cast a shadow over Gordon Brown's first official visit to China as Prime Minister early in the new year.

The letter from MI5 provides guidance on tactics and techniques used by Chinese hackers and a listing of known web signatures and addresses used in attacks.

Frankly, anyone who has been watching the aggressive mischief of the Chinese in recent times shouldn't be surprised in the least by the MI5 announcement. There have been previous reports of the Chinese hacking into other nation's computer networks, most notably German and American. It logically follows that the ChiComs want an advantage over all nations they compete with. And, as police-state communists, they don't allow rules to get in the way of results.