FOX News: Chinese military linked to advanced hacking group targeting US companies

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Chinese military linked to advanced hacking group targeting US companies Feb 19th 2013, 09:00 A group linked to the Chinese military has stolen massive amounts of data from over 100 different targets, most of which are based in the U.S., a security firm said in a report released Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reports Internet security company Mandiant says in the report it traced 141 major hacking attempts to a People's Liberation Army building in Shanghai, 115 of which targeted U.S. companies or organizations. Click here to read the report.  China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Tuesday he doubted the evidence would withstand scrutiny.  "To make groundless accusations based on some rough material is neither responsible nor professional," he said according to The Associated Press. Mandiant didn't name specific targets of the attacks but said they included information technology firms and telecommunications to aerospace and energy companies. The stolen information allegedly includes blueprints, details on proprietary processes, pricing documents and contact lists. The report also cites a memo from a Chinese telecommunications provider supplying communications links to the building where the hacking allegedly occurs, saying it would "smoothly accomplish this task for the military based on the principle that national defense construction is important." China has frequently been accused of hacking, but says it strictly outlaws the practice and says it is itself a victim of such crimes The Mandiant report comes a week after President Obama issued a long-awaited executive order aimed at getting the private owners of power plants and other critical infrastructure to share data on attacks with officials and to begin to follow consensus best practices on security. Both Democrats and Republicans have said more powerful legislation is needed, citing Chinese penetration not just of the largest companies but of operations essential to a functioning country, including those comprising the electric grid. Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.  The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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