Business & Economy

Japan probe links cyberattacks to Chinese military

Tokyo, April 20 (EFE).- Police in Japan have opened a probe into alleged cyberattacks blamed on the Chinese military that targeted nearly 200 state research institutes and firms, public broadcaster NHK reported Tuesday.

Authorities have identified a member of China’s Communist Party (CPC) who rented the servers in Japan used for the cyber attacks.

The investigators plan to bring charges against the suspect, NHK said.

The person passed on the access to the rented servers to a group known as Tick under the instruction of the People’s Liberation Army.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was hit by a cyber attack in 2016.

The attack, according to the probe, originated from the server in Japan that was hired the man in his 30s, who is an engineer employed by a state-owned Chinese telecom company.

The person had used a false identity to rent the servers.

Police have identified another Chinese citizen who also rented servers in Japan under a pseudonym for a group of Chinese hackers, called “61419 Unit.”

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary declined to comment on the probe.

In a regular briefing Tuesday, he told reporters that cyberattacks against government institutions and major Japanese installations were becoming increasingly organized and complex.

The government considered responding to such incidents an important issue.

Kato did not mention China but said the government “will act very carefully” and work with related bodies on cybersecurity.

The Japanese authorities believe the cyberattacks were to obtain classified information of the targeted state-run agencies. EFE

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