“Shadows in the Cloud: An Investigation into Cyber Espionage 2.0,” documented an Internet spy system that compromised government, business, academic and other vital computer systems. The report was published by security research firms Information Warfare Monitor and Shadowserver.For more than six months, researchers stationed at the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto collaborated with independent computer analysts in the United States to keep an eye on the activities of a gang of hackers from China’s central city of Chengdu, reports stated.
According to researchers, the hackers used social networking sites such Twitter, Google Groups and Blogspot to build a command-and-control infrastructure intended to maintain persistence.
The hackers stole almost a year's worth of the Dalai Lama's personal emails, as well as confidential encrypted documents from the Indian government.
The researchers believe there are two hackers. One member is believed to be associated with the University of Electronic Science and Technology.
A spokesperson for the university would not confirm if any hackers have been reprimanded in the past for other activities.
Concerns about cyber-attacks by the Chinese have grown over the past year after Google withdrew its search engine from mainland China due in part to hacker attacks, according to reports.