Using hackers to steal information from foreign countries
Widespread data leak from a Chinese cybersecurity company indicates that Chinese government security agents pay tens of thousands of pounds to hackers of these companies to collect data from their targets, including foreign governments.
According to The Guardian report, more than 500 files stolen from the Chinese company ISoon are posted on the Github website. These files show that some of the targets of Chinese hackers are NATO and the British Foreign Ministry. This disclosure also reveals China’s efforts to hire hackers, which the head of Britain’s security services has called a major challenge for the country.
These mentioned files include a combination of chat archives, catalogs, and sample data from companies, demonstrating the extent of China’s data collection operations. It appears that ISoon has also collaborated with another Chinese hacker company named Chengdu 404, whose hackers have been accused by the US Department of Justice of attacking American companies.
It appears that some of this data has been collected by hackers based on specific characteristics, but there are also cases where reference has been made to specific contracts with a public security bureau in China for collecting certain types of data.