Chinese hackers are becoming more sophisticated, say Google researchers

Chinese hackers are reportedly becoming more sophisticated in their attacks on government and corporate networks.

Over the past year, researchers at Google’s Mandiant division have uncovered hacks of systems not typically targeted by cyberespionage, according to The Wall Street Journal, with hackers using techniques that bypass common cybersecurity tools and detection.

The bad actors – who Google said were associated with a suspected China Nexus hacking group – are compromised devices at the edge of the network and target software on computers that typically do not contain antivirus or endpoint detection software.

While China has previously and repeatedly denied hacking into other countries’ companies or governments, Mandiant’s chief technology officer Charles Carmakal told the newspaper that the attacks were based on the profile of the victims, the scale of the resources and the sophistication with the group have been linked to the identification of obscure malware code known to have historically been used only by China-based threat actors.

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The reports said that recent hacks often affected the systems designed to protect businesses.

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People wearing face masks shop for Solid State Drive (SSD) during the 2021 Hong Kong Computer and Communications Festival at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on August 20, 2021 in Hong Kong, China. (Li Zhihua/China News Service via Getty Images)

“There is a lot of burglary activity that goes undetected,” Carmakal said. “We believe the problem is much bigger than we know today.”

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Activist Rev. Patrick Mahoney holds two white balloons as he protests the Chinese government over the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down over the United States last week during a demonstration outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC February 15, 2023. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The findings come amid concerns about Chinese espionage against the West following the discovery of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon last month and a push in the country’s capital to ban social media app TikTok.