back to article 'Evidence of Chinese spying' uncovered on eve of Trump-Xi summit

Evidence of Chinese cyber-espionage against the US has been uncovered on the eve of an important Sino-US presidential summit. The "Scanbox" malware – used by nation-state threat actors associated with or sponsored by the Chinese government – has been discovered embedded on webpages on the US National Foreign Trade Council ( …

  1. wolfetone Silver badge
    Joke

    Poor old America, seems everyone is trying to hack them. I mean, America haven't hacked any body. Why the hate?

    1. MrDamage Silver badge

      Why the hate?

      Have you tasted the oral travesty they dare call beer? I didn't think it was possible, but but it makes Fosters taste half decent.

  2. Androgynous Cow Herd

    I wonder who tipped them off?

    This was just as well timed as the Podesta revelations.

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: I wonder who tipped them off?

      That depends who is likely to be the most embarrassed by the revelation.

      The Chinese for getting caught or Trump for his government being hacked.

      Maybe both sides knew about it and tipped them off, or maybe neither side knew and this is just the sort of thing that security researchers go looking for when there's a big event in the offing?

      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: I wonder who tipped them off?

        "That depends who is likely to be the most embarrassed by the revelation.

        The Chinese for getting caught or Trump for his government being hacked."

        There's quite a list who would line up to embarrass both.: the Russians, the Norks, S Korea, Taiwan...

    2. BebopWeBop

      Re: I wonder who tipped them off?

      To be fair, there are some truly excellent beers from small breweries in the US - and you probably haven't tasted Fosters (c/o) UK breweries or the horse piss (from an ill nag) from Budweiser (not the Check one) the the US peddles all over the ill informed world.

    3. Toni the terrible Bronze badge
      Pint

      Re: I wonder who tipped them off?

      They do have micro-breweries that can produce decent (if craft) beer

  3. Your alien overlord - fear me

    Surely the NSA knew since they've hacked into the Chinese governmnet and would therefore know when the USA was being targeted?

    1. Captain DaFt

      "Surely the NSA knew since they've hacked into the Chinese governmnet"

      Well, they will know about 2036 or thereabouts, when they finally wade through all the yottabytes of data they've collected.

      This year? "Hey look at this data from 2001! Terrorists are planning an attack on the World Trade Center!"

    2. Frumious Bandersnatch

      Surely the NSA knew since ...

      The young man stepped into the hall of mirrors

      Where he discovered a reflection of himself

      Even the greatest stars discover themselves in the looking glass

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Surely the NSA knew since ...

        Are you sure he wasn't looking at a showroom dummy?

  4. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

    Shhhh.. It was the ???? that did it

    Insert one or more of

    - North Korea

    - Putin

    - GCHQ

    - Hillary

    - Obama

    - The tooth fairy.

  5. Mahhn

    Or

    or was it Vault7 making it look like it was china....

  6. Daggerchild Silver badge
    Paris Hilton

    Maturity Level of Current World Leaders

    Hey! That's mine! I saw it first!

    Finders keepers! Losers weepers!

    No fair! I'm not going to play with you anymore!

    Last one to develop autonomous attack AI is a smelly poo!

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Erm, sorry!

    We're only interested in Russians.

  8. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Meh

    Yawn

    Is the Pope a Catholic?

    Do bears poo in the woods?

    Do TLAs spy?

    Is anyone surprised?

  9. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Happy

    "by the threat actors, "

    Interesting use of language.

    I think it's in "Fight Club" when someone explains "If we find a vibrator in someones left luggage we never refer to it as 'The' vibrator. It's always a vibrator."

    So amusingly restrained, given some of the reactions of their clients when they realize they have just had their corporate data turned inside out.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "by the threat actors, "

      That's my favorite (or favourite) line from the article:

      "nation-state threat actors associated with or sponsored by the Chinese government"

      Which is where Trump can proclaim; "No, it was some guy in a basement in Kansas City. Probably." And we can all have a good laugh at his expense. :)

      It must suck not having any idea what you are doing and taking every bit of (worthless) advice from all your yes men cronies, only to have everything blow up in your orange face. What a joke this administration has been thus far! This is comical watching it all unfold to the bemusement of the bewildered, hillbilly idiots who rushed him in to "Make America Great Again!" So far, it's just farts and stupid looks and failed EOs. Good job! So far, nothing is greater than it was four months ago. :P Where's the wacky wall? Where's the tax cut for us middle of the classers? Isn't four months enough time to fill your pockets and start making the front operation look like it's not a front operation for a bunch of crooks in red ties? Perhaps not.

      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: "by the threat actors, "

        "So far, nothing is greater than it was four months ago."

        US political history isn't my field but hasn't he achieved the greatest ever rate of churn in senior political appointments?

      2. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

        Re: "by the threat actors, " @Anonymous Coward

        Hi, AC,

        The truth is more closely served and servered if Trump was to proclaim ..... "probably some nation-state threat actor guys in a Pentagon basement in Arlington County associating with or sponsored by the Chinese government" ..... after all, who else has such massive leverage with a call on so much $US debt.

        Whenever will Uncle Sam stop digging that hole it is forever for burying itself in with more costs than it can afford?

        Don’t they and their minions in dominions of the wild wacky capitalist West yet realise their Great and Free Ponzi is up and Greater IntelAIgent Games are in Future Plays to be currently played and realised via virtual means and memes, if they dare and care share what is needed to win win and never lose.

        Remain on the outside looking in on that operation and those missions and you aint ever gonna lead anyone with anything anywhere evermore. I Kid U Not.

        Things have changed both radically and fundamentally and there has been a quantum shift in understanding as to the real virtual nature of the human condition.

        Aint that so, El Regers?

  10. nemo183

    Off topic but urgent.

    Hi. Sorry to butt in, but could anyone who reads this check this link, which is the Maudsley Hospital in South London: https://www.national.slam.nhs.uk/services/adult-services/affectivedisorders/contact-us/

    Is it just me, or do you get a series of dire warnings not to go on? I have a page with a warning triangle, first telling me my information is not secure (or similar) and inviting me "back to safety". If I click advanced, the warnings are even more severe, and I must press "proceed to unsafe site" to continue.

    This is a mental health hospital & they were told about this over a day ago. Seems to me there may be a problem. How serious could it be, and how has this happened? I've already wasted a day trying to tell them.

    1. veti Silver badge

      Re: Off topic but urgent.

      Those warnings are from your browser. They mean the https:// certificate has been revoked. That in itself doesn't mean anything.

      If in doubt, I suggest you phone them instead of using the webform. 020 3228 6000 (switchboard).

  11. Winkypop Silver badge
    Devil

    Hirrary done it

    Why bother?

    Trump's stupid enough to Tweet state secrets between press tanties.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Evidence of Chinese cyber-espionage

    What we need is more cyber surveillance by the NSA to protect us from the cyber Chinese cyber hackers ..

  13. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    GCHQ .... on Your Side, Dark Side, and Doing Whatever IT Takes with New Special Source Forces.

    Howdy Doody, John Leyden

    All of those comments by Hardik Modi, vice president, Threat at Fidelis Cybersecurity, are not at all news, for everything and anything for real and in the surreal and virtual internetworking and proprietary novel intellectual property space where wannabe leading actors and puppet masters play, are considered fair game for comprehensive investigation and remote exploitation.

    To not think it so and believe otherwise delivers a remarkable stealth to that and those recognising those aforementioned facts in the light and the shadows of the sees of fake news reports that litter scenes with false evidential trails in presidential executive support of the unbelievable, the corrupt and the perverse for lame brain mainstream media presentation.

    Today it is not just as easy with the sublime zeroday to deliver and direct the future course of acceptable proaction, is it. Yesterday’s lack off intelligence is no longer universally acceptable as the best that there is to offer on offer.

    But hey that is good, for wanton fools and the serially inept and intellectually challenged have neither rightful place in command nor justifiable leverage with control of either cool facts or hot fiction, have they? Their places and spaces are smartly preserved and beautifully reserved in the baying spectator sections/sectors/vectors.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Chinese aren't spying...

    They're just trying to find out the truth and what's actually going on.

    Because they certainly won't get it by talking to Donald.

    1. tom dial Silver badge

      Re: The Chinese aren't spying...

      One upvote for this, and deserving of more.

      Both sentences are quite correct. What is left out is that the US and most other countries collect and analyze intelligence data, part of it gotten through espionage, for exactly the same reasons: to find out the truth, and because they will not get it from their foreign counterparts. It has been so for as long as we have any recorded history and probably longer, and will continue to be so as far as we can see into the future.

  15. Toni the terrible Bronze badge

    Chinese Walls

    Of course the chinese spied and are continuing to spy, and the Norks, Sorks, Russia, Moravia, UK, Croats, Serbs etc etc Occasinally you find out what exactly they have been spying on - which is useful in it self.

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