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AllThingsD’s Arik Hesseldahl on reports the computers of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal were hacked.
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A dangerous escalation today in cyber attacks on American computer systems by the Communist Chinese.
-- the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times big newspapers here in the US are reporting Chinese hackers have attacked their computers.
China denying the reports with more on this -- -- golf writer for all things digital are welcome back to the show that.
What -- the Chinese -- here.
They were worried about -- investigative report to to New York Times was working on on the wealth.
The families of the Chinese premier Wen Wen Jiabao.
I don't think I've pronounced that right but yeah.
Probably close in yes -- -- they're really worried about.
Look they're standing in the -- in the world.
Embarrassing.
The leadership of the countries that.
Public relations problem and they wanted to get apparently this is my guess that the -- they wanted to find out what the times do and who had the information and where they were getting -- probably.
How -- -- York times find -- they were being hacked.
The suspected that they might be because they knew this report was coming and so they told their Internet service provider to be on the lookout for suspicious behavior sure enough -- -- -- the Chinese get what they want you think.
Well -- kind of using the the times that a gutsy move here.
They let they they let it happen in order to watch what the attackers did watch how they got in and out.
Nature that they saw where all the doors were virtual doors and then when they were ready.
They shut up shut it all down close all the doors and -- and -- publish the story anyway -- -- -- story anyway and then publish a great story today about everything happen.
PI and everybody's picking up audit here's what the New York Times executive editor had to say about a computer security experts found no evidence -- sensitive emails -- -- from the reporting of our articles.
About the -- family were accessed downloaded or copied.
Affect the Chinese Government can do anything about it of course are denying -- -- Stop -- the thing was the thing is is that they had access to all these because they could have actually done some damage.
Those kind of got -- -- on -- -- in the shadows completely in the shadow of all -- shadows and so you know watching the attackers do with the did.
The you learn a lot.
Well air is this the new form of warfare out there you I've talked about the topic before.
Other examples of that we keep -- US banks -- -- and by that I mean they try to close the front door the banks so that.
So I can access my Bank of America checking account yet or whatever.
If it's gonna get more serious though do you think that real damage is going to be done.
Yeah I think so I mean I've been wondering about this for quite -- -- I mean you know we talked about how the US and and Israel have have teamed up to attack the Iranian nuclear research programs.
But China has a long history of of trying to penetrate the networks of American companies Intel and Google.
Are two examples -- -- publicly acknowledged that they have been attacked.
And it basically what with having there's a group is China is looking for intellectual property -- -- steal.
And the other thing is -- always -- question and attribution is always a level of separation between who's doing the attacking.
And who wanted to be -- so -- has to be plausible tonight ability of the government can literally say we didn't we didn't do it.
We didn't do it because if someone else acting on -- behalf.
Right well.
Yes that's been trying to -- really down professing apple exactly.
And and it frankly this is occurring all over on everybody's part -- over and over again you know we talk about virtual war we talk about drones this seems to me.
To be another of the same kind as our.
Society becomes more dependent on computers and digital infrastructure disrupting it will become an increasingly important.
Aspect of all kinds of warfare whether it's slow low intensity cold type war or hot war we saw.
You know we've seen actual countries this country of -- -- and that the president of Estonia July ago his country came under attack over from Russia.
Because of the movement of a war statue was a big politically sensitive but it -- it was electronic it wasn't electronically -- -- -- act of virtual warfare and and Estonia's one of the most well connected countries in the world.
Well maybe we get the Estonian president not -- he he's a pretty Smart -- you should have money very.
Thanks so much for about -- really appreciate it's a fascinating topic can't believe the Chinese hacking New York Times computers -- out okay coming up next.
