Forwarded From: shadowvrai@trust-me.com http://cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9902/22/BC-CHINA-COMPUTERS-HACKE.reut/index.html China uncovers nearly 100 computer hacking cases February 23, 1999 Web posted at: 12:00 AM EST (0500 GMT) SHANGHAI, Feb 23 (Reuters) - China cracked some 100 cases of computer hacking last year ranging from mischief to serious crime, the International Finance News said on Tuesday. Public Security officials estimated that the uncovered cases represented just 15 percent of true activity, and with growing use of computers the crime was proliferating at an alarming 30 percent a year, the newspaper said. Some 95 percent of China's computer networks linked to international ones had fallen prey to attempts by hackers -- called "hei ke" or "black guests" in Chinese -- from inside and outside the country, it said. Banks, financial institutions and securities houses were the main targets, but most cases were not reported for commercial reasons, it said. The newspaper said most hackers were young people who attacked networks to show off their programming skills, and many escaped arrest as China has no specific laws for prosecuting electronic break-ins. But in one prominent case last year, China sentenced to death two brothers who broke into a bank's computer network and stole 260,000 yuan ($31,400). They were prosecuted for theft. Hao Jinglong, an accountant at a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in the eastern province of Jiangsu, and his brother Hao Jingwen electronically wired non-existent deposits into their accounts and withdrew the funds, official media have reported. In another case unreported by state media, an official Chinese website dedicated to promoting Beijing's view of human rights was defaced last year by a foreign hacker outside China who labelled it propaganda. China maintains strict control over the Internet, including blocking sites which it deems politically sensitive or pornographic. -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Internet Security Institute [www.isi-sec.com]
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