China has rejected claims that a Chinese-state-backed cyber espionage group has targeted Australia and multiple other countries.
Speaking at a press conference, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that China is "firmly opposed to such repeated hypes" about Chinese cyber attacks and said they were aimed to smear and frame China on cybersecurity.
The background: On Tuesday, the Australian government spearheaded the public attribution of malicious cyber activities to the Chinese-state-sponsored group APT40.
The group was identified in a joint advisory with Australia's Five Eyes allies — New Zealand, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom — as well as security agencies from Germany, Japan and South Korea.
Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance formalised after World War Two, with members cooperating on security surveillance and information-sharing.
APT stands for Advanced Persistent Threat and assessments have found the group conducts malicious cyber operations for China's Ministry of State Security.
The key quote: "We urge relevant parties to open their eyes and make the right judgement, rather than serving as the cat's paw at their own expense." — Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.
What else to know: According to the advisory, APT40 has repeatedly targeted Australian networks as well as government and private sector networks in the region.
The advisory detailed two case study examples of attacks, including compromising an organisation's network and allegedly stealing hundreds of usernames and passwords from one Australian entity.
What happens now: Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said all Australians should read and follow the detection and mitigation recommendations.
"Cyber intrusions from foreign governments are one of the most significant threats we face," she said.
"Every day our intelligence agencies work tirelessly to identify and disrupt these actors."
