Reports released by the University of Toronto and Cambridge University over the weekend have revealed a vast and intricate electronic espionage program run from servers in China that have infiltrated computers in more than 100 countries.
The program, dubbed GhostNet, has reportedly compromised more than 1,295 computers in 106 countries: including embassies, foreign ministries, government offices, and exile centers of the Dalai Lama in cities like London, New York, and Brussels.
The attacks were fairly direct – typically in the form of emails with accompanying links or attachments that would trigger the virus. Once active, the virus would allow the hacker to operate the host computer as if it were its own, including being able to move or send files, and even capable of turning on the computer’s camera and microphone, effectively creating a surveillance bug.
Although the researchers at the University of Toronto have found China to be the source of the hackers, they have not found any evidence that would suggest the government was involved.
“We’re a bit more careful about it, knowing the nuance of what happens in the subterranean realms,” said Ronald J. Deibert, who is a member of the research team. “This could well be the C.I.A. or the Russians. It’s a murky realm that we’re lifting the lid on.”
The report by two researchers at Cambridge University, however, had no qualms with accusing the Chinese government of conducting cyber attacks on Tibetan exile groups.