HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019724.jpg
1.72 MB
Extraction Summary
1
People
8
Organizations
3
Locations
2
Events
1
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / evidence production
File Size:
1.72 MB
Summary
This document is page 236 from the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' (authored by Edward Jay Epstein). It details Chinese cyber espionage tactics, contrasting them with Russian methods. The text describes the use of 'sleeper' bugs and 'zombie' programs to infiltrate U.S. networks, specifically mentioning a 2007 report by Paul Strassmann about 700,000 infected computers. It highlights successful hacks against U.S. contractors like Booz Allen and tech companies (Google, Yahoo!, etc.) to access NSA and CIA personnel dossiers. The page bears a 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019724' stamp, indicating it was part of a document production for a congressional investigation.
People (1)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Strassmann | Top U.S. defense expert on cyber espionage |
Reported in 2007 that China had inserted zombie programs in 700,000 US computers.
|
Organizations (8)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Booz Allen |
Hacked by Chinese cyber specialists.
|
|
| NSA |
Technologists supplied by Booz Allen; dossiers of employees obtained by Chinese hackers.
|
|
| CIA |
Dossiers of employees obtained by Chinese hackers.
|
|
|
Penetrated by Chinese service to track emails.
|
||
| Yahoo! |
Penetrated by Chinese service to track emails.
|
|
| Symantec |
Penetrated by Chinese service.
|
|
| Adobe |
Penetrated by Chinese service.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Producer of the document (indicated by stamp).
|
Timeline (2 events)
2007
Report by Paul Strassmann regarding 700,000 zombie programs inserted into US computers.
United States
Locations (3)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Target of espionage; location of compromised computers.
|
|
|
Origin of espionage activities.
|
|
|
Mentioned for comparison regarding espionage tactics.
|
Relationships (1)
Chinese cyber specialists used this capability to hack into the computers of outside contractors, including Booz Allen
Key Quotes (3)
"Chinese controllers can often retrieve e-mails and documents and can turn on the cameras and microphones of personal computers, tablets, and smart phones."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019724.jpg
Quote #1
"China had inserted 'zombie' programs in some 700,000 computers in the United States"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019724.jpg
Quote #2
"Chinese cyber specialists used this capability to hack into the computers of outside contractors, including Booz Allen"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019724.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,575 characters)
236 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS
on the campuses of its universities. Its hierarchy is also obscure.
Few traces have been uncovered of any conventional espionage net-
works in the United States, and no major Chinese spy has ever been
arrested. Part of the reason that Chinese espionage has proved so elu-
sive to the eyes of Western counterintelligence is that, unlike Russia,
it did not ordinarily rely on intelligence officers in its embassies to
recruit penetration agents to steal secrets. It did not even have an
embassy in the United States during most of the Cold War. Instead,
its services specialize in mosaics of intelligence assembled from a
wide variety of sources, including nonclassified documents, return-
ing graduate students, scientific conferences, exchanges with allies,
and a vast operation of hacking into computers, or cyber espionage.
Few traces have been uncovered of any conventional espionage net-
works in the United States, and no major Chinese spy has ever been
arrested. Part of the reason that Chinese espionage has proved so elu-
sive to the eyes of Western counterintelligence is that, unlike Russia,
it did not ordinarily rely on intelligence officers in its embassies to
recruit penetration agents to steal secrets. It did not even have an
embassy in the United States during most of the Cold War. Instead,
its services specialize in mosaics of intelligence assembled from a
wide variety of sources, including nonclassified documents, return-
ing graduate students, scientific conferences, exchanges with allies,
and a vast operation of hacking into computers, or cyber espionage.
Such espionage is indeed a vast enterprise in China. Graduating
over 150,000 computer science engineers in the 1990s, it had no
shortage of personnel. It had also developed the cyber tool kit to gain
access to the computer networks of U.S. government contractors and
consultants in the private sector and government agencies, planting
"sleeper" bugs in networked computers. Like human sleeper agents,
these hidden programs can be activated when needed for operational
purposes. Chinese controllers can often retrieve e-mails and docu-
ments and can turn on the cameras and microphones of personal
computers, tablets, and smart phones.
over 150,000 computer science engineers in the 1990s, it had no
shortage of personnel. It had also developed the cyber tool kit to gain
access to the computer networks of U.S. government contractors and
consultants in the private sector and government agencies, planting
"sleeper" bugs in networked computers. Like human sleeper agents,
these hidden programs can be activated when needed for operational
purposes. Chinese controllers can often retrieve e-mails and docu-
ments and can turn on the cameras and microphones of personal
computers, tablets, and smart phones.
By 2007, Paul Strassmann, a top U.S. defense expert on cyber
espionage, reported that China had inserted "zombie" programs in
some 700,000 computers in the United States, which could be used to
mount cyber attacks to retrieve e-mails from other computers. The
Chinese service also reportedly penetrated companies that provide
Internet services, including Google, Yahoo!, Symantec, and Adobe,
which allowed it to track e-mails and enclosures of individuals. With
such an invisible army of zombie computers, it is not entirely sur-
prising that China finds little need to employ human sleeper agents.
espionage, reported that China had inserted "zombie" programs in
some 700,000 computers in the United States, which could be used to
mount cyber attacks to retrieve e-mails from other computers. The
Chinese service also reportedly penetrated companies that provide
Internet services, including Google, Yahoo!, Symantec, and Adobe,
which allowed it to track e-mails and enclosures of individuals. With
such an invisible army of zombie computers, it is not entirely sur-
prising that China finds little need to employ human sleeper agents.
Chinese cyber specialists used this capability to hack into the
computers of outside contractors, including Booz Allen and other
companies that supplied technologists to the NSA. It also had nota-
ble successes in obtaining the dossiers of U.S. employees and inde-
pendent contractors at the NSA, the CIA, and other intelligence
services. Its intrusions, as previously noted, into computer networks
computers of outside contractors, including Booz Allen and other
companies that supplied technologists to the NSA. It also had nota-
ble successes in obtaining the dossiers of U.S. employees and inde-
pendent contractors at the NSA, the CIA, and other intelligence
services. Its intrusions, as previously noted, into computer networks
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.indd 236 9/30/16 8:13 AM
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