THE US REPORT

By Kay B. Day

China has developed a reputation as a source for hacking attacks, and a government official has told Al Jazeera “hackers tampered with more than 42,000 websites last year.” Perhaps in response to that developing reputation as well as criticism from Internet corporate monolith Google, China said it has shut down the biggest “training center” for hackers, the Black Hawk Safety Net. The operation was shut down in November, but reports didn't surface until February.

AJ said the hackers' website recruited members online, teaching more than 12,000 how to hack computers. Members could purchase malicious software that enabled them to gain control over others’ computers. Hacking is apparently very profitable—the website reportedly took in more than $1 million. AJ said, “The report said police seized nine servers, five computers and a car, and shut down all websites involved in the case. Authorities also reportedly froze $250,000 in assets.”

James Mulvenon, director of the US-based Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis at Defense Group Inc., told The Wall Street Journal, after Google accused Chinese hackers of major cyber attacks in January, that some hackers mask their location from Internet addresses in Taiwan.

WSJ said, “The attack on Google is similar to an earlier one that affected computers belonging to the office of the Dalai Lama and many foreign embassies.”

AJ said the attack on Google also affected approximately 20 other companies.

CNET said an executive for the computer security firm McAfee called the attack on Google “a watershed moment in cybersecurity.”

The government of China claims to be the biggest victim of hacking.

But AJ said many experts view China as a “global centre for Internet crimes.” The Black Hawk Safety Net story originated in Wuhan, "home to the Communication Command Academy, which trains hackers, according to US congressional testimony by cyber expert James Mulvenon in 2008."

It’s likely the 42,000 websites affected by cybercrime last year are a drop in the Web bucket. It’s possible 42,000 is a conservative estimate.