China’s Cyber Threat A High-Stakes Spy Game: NPR

On November 27th, 2011, NPR reported on the extent of ongoing Chinese cyber espionage.  The article explained that the Chinese engage in cyber-espionage to make up for a technological deficiency with the US.  The article also quoted one cyber expert as saying that espionage has an "immediate economic benefit: You don't have to pay for the design, you can build it cheaper, and you can offer the same product at a lower price."  Moreover, the US and China increasingly see each other as economic and military competitors,  so this ongoing espionage campaign is playing out in a much larger context.  According to the article, the technology and defense industries are most vulnerable, but "Chinese hackers have even broken into and stolen plans from American furniture manufacturers…"

Thankfully, this espionage is getting a lot more attention.  The article explained that US officials have traditionally pressured China in private, but now have turned to public naming and shaming as a means of pressure.  Accordingly, Republican Rep. Mike Rogers called the Chinese "ferocious economic predators", and said that the US economy has lost 10,000 jobs because of Chinese economic espionage.  Moreover, Rep. Rogers pegged US losses from intellectual property espionage at roughly a trillion dollars a year.  Although there are always attribution problems, Rep. Rogers was "confident they have evidence that China is actively involved in economic espionage."

The rest of the source article can be found here.