Report: Chinese Hackers Breached US Chamber of Commerce’s Servers
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Brendan Hoffman/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — It would appear that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has more to worry about than the current state of the economy and its constant battles with the Obama administration.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday morning that Chinese hackers managed to finagle their way into the Chamber’s computer servers and compromised the sensitive information of three million of its members, virtually gaining access to everything stored on the systems.
The hackers took about six week’s worth of emails from four employees working on Asian policy, according to the Journal, before the operation was shut down in May 2010.
Two people familiar with the top business-lobbying group’s internal probe say the Chinese hackers might have had free reign of the Chamber’s computer servers for up to a year before the FBI informed officials about the breach.
One of the suspected culprits is believed to be linked to the Chinese government, the Journal said.
Meanwhile, Geng Shuang, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, denied that China was behind the hacking scheme, saying that its accusers “lack proof and evidence.” Shuang claimed that cyber attackers are outlawed in his country and that China has also been a victim.
Since the breach, the Chamber of Commerce has bolstered its detection equipment and forbids employees from taking portable devices to certain countries, including China.
Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio