Outnumbered: West struggles to combat expanding Chinese spy network

NEW DETAILS ARE EMERGING ABOUT THE SCALE OF CHINA’S GLOBAL ESPIONAGE OPERATIONS… WITH INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES WARNING THAT BEIJING IS SPYING ON A LEVEL THAT THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH.

WESTERN INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES ARE SOUNDING THE ALARM OVER WHAT THEY DESCRIBE AS AN OVERWHELMING AND HIGHLY ORGANIZED CHINESE ESPIONAGE CAMPAIGN, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTS. OFFICIALS SAY CHINA’S INTELLIGENCE-GATHERING EFFORTS INVOLVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS… INCLUDING CYBER EXPERTS, PRIVATE COMPANIES AND EVEN CIVILIANS MOBILIZED TO SPY ON RIVAL NATIONS.

IN THE U-S ALONE, THE FBI HAS REPORTED MULTIPLE HIGH-PROFILE CASES OF CHINESE-LINKED CYBERATTACKS. IN JUST ONE MONTH, A CHINESE FIRM HACKED OVER A QUARTER MILLION INTERNET-CONNECTED DEVICES ACROSS THE U-S AND EUROPE. AND LAST YEAR, A CHINESE HACKING GROUP ALLEGEDLY ACCESSED THE SYSTEMS USED BY U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR WIRETAPPING, RAISING MAJOR NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS. THE FBI ESTIMATES CHINA’S HACKING PERSONNEL CURRENTLY OUTNUMBER THEIR CYBER DIVISION STAFF BY 50 TO 1… AND EUROPEAN AGENCIES BELIEVE CHINA’S INTELLIGENCE WORKFORCE MAY INCLUDE UP TO 600-THOUSAND PEOPLE.

WESTERN GOVERNMENTS ARE ALSO UNCOVERING PHYSICAL ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES. IN ADDITION TO SEVERAL OTHER HACKING SUSPECTS… U-S PROSECUTORS RECENTLY CHARGED TWO CHINESE NATIONALS WITH OBSTRUCTION IN A CASE AGAINST HUAWEI FOR LEAKING CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION TO CHINA.  AND IN THE UK… CHINESE HACKERS GAINED ACCESS TO VOTER REGISTRATION RECORDS, COMPROMISING THE PERSONAL INFORMATION OF 40 MILLION PEOPLE.

Merrick Garland. U.S. Attorney General:
“The justice department will not tolerate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the rule of law upon which our democracy is based. We will continue to fiercely protect the rights guaranteed to everyone in our country… and we will defend the Integrity of our institutions.”

EXPERTS SAY BEIJING’S GOAL IS TO STRENGTHEN ITS ECONOMY, BOOST ITS MILITARY CAPABILITIES, AND CONSOLIDATE PRESIDENT XI JINPING’S GRIP ON POWER. 

WITH GROWING INTERNATIONAL CONCERN, MANY COUNTRIES ARE HESITANT TO TAKE DRASTIC ACTION DUE TO THEIR DEEP ECONOMIC TIES WITH CHINA. EXPERTS WARN THAT THE SITUATION COULD BECOME MORE DANGEROUS AS TENSIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND THE WEST, ESPECIALLY OVER TAIWAN, CONTINUE TO RISE.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M KARAH RUCKER.