Chinese government hackers

Chinese government hackers penetrated EU communications network, cybersecurity firm concludes

By TIM STARKS

Chinese government hackers have been eavesdropping on diplomats, trade unions and think tanks in Europe, a cybersecurity firm revealed Wednesday, adding to the growing list of grievances the West has with Beijing over its digital espionage activities.

The latest allegations, coming as Europe appears ready to follow the U.S. and place new limits on Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei over security concerns, claim an arm of the People's Liberation Army breached a diplomatic communications network the 28 European Union states use to share details on policymaking efforts.

Area 1 Security, which revealed the breach, said the hackers used a phishing link to access the system, known as COREU.

Blake Darche, chief security officer of Area 1 Security, said the attack shows that hackers continue to exploit the "weakest links in the digital chain," launching an attack on Cyprus's Ministry of Foreign Affairs "to gain access to the entire European Union diplomatic communications network."

The hackers used techniques similar to those seen by the PLA, and was part of a broader campaign that also included targeting the United Nations and the AFL-CIO, Area 1 Security concluded.

The company provided hacked cables to The New York Times, with one cable from an EU diplomat referring to a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "successful (at least for Putin).” Another cable called Trump's "bullying" of Beijing a “no-rules freestyle boxing match.”

The EU is looking into the incident, Bloomberg reported.