Chinese Hackers Crack NY Times

Nab staff passwords over 4 months of attacks
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 31, 2013 4:47 AM CST
Chinese Hackers Crack NYTimes
The front page of the Thursday Feb. 21, 2008, edition of the New York Times.   (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The New York Times has weathered four months of online attacks by Chinese hackers, the paper reveals. Following Times reporting on the wealth of Chinese PM Wen Jiabao's family, hackers were able to enter the newspaper's computer systems, diving into the email accounts of two Asia bureau chiefs. Now, however, hackers have been driven out by computer experts working for the Times. No customer data was taken, nor was there any "evidence that sensitive emails or files" from the Wen reporting were "accessed, downloaded, or copied," says the paper's executive editor.

China calls claims of the attack "unprofessional and baseless." But experts point to China as the culprit based on the type of malware that was used in the attack. Analysts also note that the hacking was routed through the same university computers China's military has used to target the US military. China seems to be launching cyberattacks on a widening range of US targets, from media companies to corporations to the government. Experts tell the Times that it's not just a matter of gathering useful intelligence: Beijing is also concerned about its public image. Head to the Times for an in-depth report. (More China stories.)

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