Chinese still hacking us,' says Wall Street Journal owner

CNET

by Dara Kerr / February 5, 2013

Rupert Murdock takes to Twitter to say that his newspaper's computer system is still under cyberattack.

Several U.S. media outlets experienced a massive wave of cyberattacks allegedly coming from the Chinese military over the last few months. While some newspapers have claimed that their networks are now safe, the Wall Street Journal may still be a victim of the online onslaught.

The newspaper's owner Rupert Murdock tweeted today, "Chinese still hacking us, or were over weekend."

The Wall Street Journal confirmed last week that it had been the target of cyberattacks in recent months because of its coverage of China. Apparently, hackers infiltrated the newspaper's computer system through its Beijing bureau in order to monitor the paper's coverage of the Far East country.  

The news came after The New York Times claimed that it was the victim of a four-month cyberattack where hackers stole the passwords of its employees in an effort to get information on sources and contacts for a story on Chinese Prime Minster Wen Jiabao. According to the Times, the methods these hackers used were similar to past attacks by the Chinese military. 

Other news outlets, including the Associated Press, Bloomberg News, and the Washington Post have also reported cyberattacks related to their coverage in China.

China's Ministry of National Defense has denied that the government had anything to do with the hacking spree. "Chinese laws prohibit any action including hacking that damages Internet security," the Ministry told the Times last week. "To accuse the Chinese military of launching cyberattacks without solid proof is unprofessional and baseless."

The Wall Street Journal said last week that it had completed a "network overhaul" to increase security. However, if Murdock is correct, hackers have still been able to breach the newspaper's computer system.