It was more capable than any competitor in predicting which character or word the user actually wanted to type, and it did that by scraping text from the internet and maintaining an extensive library of Chinese words. Released in 2006, Sogou Input Method quickly became the most popular keyboard app in the country. As a result, downloading third-party keyboard software became standard practice for everyone in China. Starting in the PC era, Chinese software developers proposed all kinds of IME products to expedite typing, some even ditching phonetic spelling and allowing users to draw or choose the components of a Chinese character. Officially called input method editors (IMEs), keyboard apps are necessary for typing in languages that have more characters than a common Latin-alphabet keyboard allows, like those with Japanese, Korean, or Indic characters.įor Chinese users, having an IME is almost a necessity. And, alarmingly, the potential for such makes otherwise encrypted communications by Chinese users-in apps like Signal, for example-vulnerable to systems of state surveillance. We transparently disclose our data processing activities in our privacy policy and do not otherwise share user data.”īut there’s no guarantee that this was the only vulnerability in the app, and the researchers did not examine other popular keyboard apps in the Chinese market-meaning the ubiquitous software will continue to be a security risk for hundreds of millions of people. “We have addressed the issues identified by the Citizen Lab and will continue to work so that user data remains safe and secure. The Chinese state-sponsored hacking group, dubbed ‘Volt Typhoon,’ is known to focus on espionage, and has been active since mid-2021.“User privacy is fundamental to our business,” a Sogou spokesperson told MIT Technology Review. Microsoft has released guidance on how to detect and protect against the hacks, though “detecting and mitigating this attack could be challenging” given the nature of how malicious code can be hidden within valid, existing network infrastructure. The Philippines is one of the Southeast Asian nations that dispute China’s territorial claims. On Wednesday, China’s transport ministry said it had deployed three navigation beacons around a contested grouping of islands, the latest effort to stake its claim to the area.Įarlier this month, the Philippines also placed navigational buoys within its exclusive economic zone in an effort to stand its ground. Over the last decade, China has built up and militarised rocky outposts. In the region, China also lays claim to the South China Sea, disputed by many nations that share the resource-rich waters. Such scenarios have worried neighbouring countries, and as far afield as the US – conflict over Taiwan could be considered a proxy for worsening bilateral ties between Beijing and Washington. Tensions are growing over Taiwan, an island nation with its own democratically-elected government that China claims as its territory.Įxperts have highlighted that China could act on leader Xi JInping’s repeated vows to annex Taiwan by leading an invasion or blockade. That makes the targeting of Guam of particular concern, as it would be a key part of any sort of American military response to conflict in the Indo-Pacific region. Microsoft said it “assesses with moderate confidence” that this campaign "is pursuing development of capabilities that could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crises.” The UK National Cyber Security Centre warned that “the same techniques could be applied worldwide.” The US National Security Agency is working with Five Eyes partners in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to identify breaches. It’s unclear how widespread the attack was, and what information may have been gleaned, though this is potentially one of the largest-ever known cyber espionage campaigns against US infrastructure. The cyberattack approach is called “living off the land,” and sees hackers using “built-in network tools to evade our defences and leaving no trace behind,” said Rob Joyce, NSA cybersecurity director, in a statement. Hackers managed to insert computer code that blended into Microsoft Windows systems, evading detection while maintaining access and gathering information, according to separate reports from Microsoft and Western intelligence agencies. A Chinese government-backed hacking group has been spying on critical US infrastructure organisations, including targeting the US island territory of Guam, home to strategic military presence.
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