[h=3]By CARLOS TEJADA[/h]BEIJING—A group affiliated with China's military has stolen massive amounts of data from a broad range of companies and organizations, primarily those based in the U.S., according to a report released Tuesday by a computer-security firm.
Mandiant Corp. said in a 74-page report released on its website that a group attached to China's People's Liberation Army has since at least 2006 stolen data from 141 companies, 115 of which were in the U.S. Mandiant didn't name specific targets of the attacks but said they spanned industries ranging from information technology and telecommunications to aerospace and energy.
Officials at China's Foreign Ministry and Ministry of National Defense couldn't be reached for comment. In the past, Chinese officials have disputed allegations that Beijing is involved in hacking and have said China is often a hacking victim. Mandiant's accusations were reported earlier by the New York Times.
Mandiant said it believes the group behind the hacking is Unit 61398, within a wing of the People's Liberation Army. It said it has observed hacking attempts against nearly 150 victims over seven years. Hundreds of terabytes of data were involved, it said.
It pinpointed the group's location in facilities in Shanghai's Pudong district. It also reprinted a memo from a Chinese telecommunications provider supplying communications links to the facility that said it would "smoothly accomplish this task for the military based on the principle that national defense construction is important."
The report said the information stolen includes blueprints, details on proprietary processes, pricing documents and contact lists, among other material. In one case, it said, the group stole 6.5 terabytes of compressed data from a single organization over 10 months.
The Chinese military has come under scrutiny in recent years from computer-security experts who have alleged it has long been involved with hacking.
In recent weeks, a number of news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, have said they were infiltrated by Chinese hackers believed to have government links.
A version of this article appeared February 19, 2013, on page A10 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: China Group Is Linked To Hacking.
Mandiant Corp. said in a 74-page report released on its website that a group attached to China's People's Liberation Army has since at least 2006 stolen data from 141 companies, 115 of which were in the U.S. Mandiant didn't name specific targets of the attacks but said they spanned industries ranging from information technology and telecommunications to aerospace and energy.
Officials at China's Foreign Ministry and Ministry of National Defense couldn't be reached for comment. In the past, Chinese officials have disputed allegations that Beijing is involved in hacking and have said China is often a hacking victim. Mandiant's accusations were reported earlier by the New York Times.
Mandiant said it believes the group behind the hacking is Unit 61398, within a wing of the People's Liberation Army. It said it has observed hacking attempts against nearly 150 victims over seven years. Hundreds of terabytes of data were involved, it said.
It pinpointed the group's location in facilities in Shanghai's Pudong district. It also reprinted a memo from a Chinese telecommunications provider supplying communications links to the facility that said it would "smoothly accomplish this task for the military based on the principle that national defense construction is important."
The report said the information stolen includes blueprints, details on proprietary processes, pricing documents and contact lists, among other material. In one case, it said, the group stole 6.5 terabytes of compressed data from a single organization over 10 months.
The Chinese military has come under scrutiny in recent years from computer-security experts who have alleged it has long been involved with hacking.
In recent weeks, a number of news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, have said they were infiltrated by Chinese hackers believed to have government links.
A version of this article appeared February 19, 2013, on page A10 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: China Group Is Linked To Hacking.