Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

U.S., NATO and EU to blame China for cyberattack on Microsoft Exchange servers
CNBC ^ | 07/19/2021 | Christina Wilkie

Posted on 07/19/2021 9:07:19 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

WASHINGTON — A new joint effort made up of NATO member states, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Japan is coming together to confront the global threat posed by Chinese state-sponsored cyberattacks.

In its first action on Monday, the countries will publicly blame China’s Ministry of State Security for a massive cyberattack on Microsoft Exchange email servers earlier this year.

The attack was carried out by criminal contract hackers working for the MSS who also engage in cyber-enabled extortion, cryptojacking and ransomware, the official said.

The group will share intelligence on cyberthreats and collaborate on network defenses and security, said a senior Biden administration official who requested anonymity to discuss a national security effort.

Also Monday, the FBI, National Security Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a new advisory listing 50 tactics, techniques and procedures that Chinese state-sponsored hackers employ.

The brazen Microsoft Exchange server attack became public in March and is believed to have hit at least 30,000 American organizations and hundreds of thousands more worldwide.

Microsoft quickly identified the group behind the hack as a relatively unknown Chinese espionage network dubbed Hafnium.

Until now, the United States has stopped short of publicly blaming Beijing for the attack.

The delay in naming China was partly to give investigators time to assemble the evidence to prove that the Hafnium hackers were on the Chinese state payroll, the official said.

It was also important for the United States to act in concert with its allies when it made the public attribution, said the official.

At a time when cyberwarfare is becoming the front line in a global power struggle between democracies and autocratic states, the new cybersecurity alliance could become a model for future efforts to confront transnational threats.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; cyberattack; hacking; microsoftexchange

1 posted on 07/19/2021 9:07:19 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

We are in WWIII but only one side knows it - China.


2 posted on 07/19/2021 9:21:12 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN (I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

We ALL knew it was China, so WHY were they pushing “the Russians did it” for 6 months?
This regime has lied so much that they don’t remember what they were saying 2 months ago.
It’s time for this illegal, lying, criminal regime to GO.
And the Biden’s do business with the CCP?
T R E A S O N!


3 posted on 07/19/2021 9:27:55 AM PDT by doc maverick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind; All

The left enjoys raging about Russian hacking.

However, all the big, successful hacks are by Chinese State Security.

And everyone knows it, including the Russians.


4 posted on 07/19/2021 9:28:41 AM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

What — no value in blaming Russia anymore.

Many of us already know that all the Russian cyber blame has actually been China, routing and shifting blame to Russian servers. And the media all to happy to use the word Russia in every sentence.


5 posted on 07/19/2021 9:32:20 AM PDT by George from New England
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: doc maverick

“We ALL knew it was China, so WHY were they pushing “the Russians did it” for 6 months?”

The Russians are the well advertised whipping boy for the Democrats. If they suddenly changed to some other bad-boy, it would sound strange and off message. I’m guessing the Democrats have a lot at risk by flipping whipping boys. Another issue is there are well documented connections between the CCP and top democrats. The top people do not want a phone call threatening them for turning on the CCP. The definition of an honest politician is one who stays bought. My guess is they’ll stay bought because if the Chinese turn on them they’re through...politically and financially...possibly criminally. If it went badly enough for them, then their Democratic allies will turn on them to save their own skins. The only reason Hillary was able to get away with treason is because she has plenty of support. Imagine how the FBI would have handled the situation if, say, China had revealed enough evidence of complicity in espionage that all of Hillary’s “friends” were not available to offer cover for fear of getting the same tar on their face.


6 posted on 07/19/2021 9:46:02 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (Wait! I said that out loud? )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

“You and what army?”


7 posted on 07/19/2021 9:46:52 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Microsoft is the problem.


8 posted on 07/19/2021 10:18:10 AM PDT by Zathras
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Zathras

You nailed it, M$ is the problem.


9 posted on 07/19/2021 10:27:52 AM PDT by DonaldC (A nation cannot stand in the absence of religious principle.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Zathras

RE: Microsoft is the problem.

So if a thief is able to breach a safe and steal its contents, it’s the manufacturer of the safe that’s the problem, not the thief?


10 posted on 07/19/2021 11:15:09 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: doc maverick

RE: We ALL knew it was China, so WHY were they pushing “the Russians did it” for 6 months?

I am tempted to include the Hunter Biden-China angle as a response to this question. But then, it would imply that the Biden’s are NOW not in China’s payroll.


11 posted on 07/19/2021 11:17:44 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: CIB-173RDABN
we are fighting a war on two fronts, CivilWarII and WWIII at the same time...
12 posted on 07/19/2021 3:11:56 PM PDT by Chode (there is no fall back position, there's no rally point, there is no LZ... we're on our own. P144:1)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Chode
Hi.

And the battle space for WWWIII is multi dimensional. One aspect being cyber attacks, another diplomatic, space is another, and the biological attack nobody is talking about is another.

Chuck Fina, Xi and the horse Biden rode in kn.

5.56mm

13 posted on 07/19/2021 3:20:31 PM PDT by M Kehoe (Quid Pro Joe and the Ho need to go.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: M Kehoe

I did spell check damit.

5.56mm


14 posted on 07/19/2021 3:22:01 PM PDT by M Kehoe (Quid Pro Joe and the Ho need to go.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

And the same people say the election was not hacked?


15 posted on 07/19/2021 3:26:11 PM PDT by right way right (May we remain sober over mere men, for God really is our only true hope. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: M Kehoe

100%


16 posted on 07/19/2021 4:08:39 PM PDT by Chode (there is no fall back position, there's no rally point, there is no LZ... we're on our own. P144:1)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson