Military geographic data is being stolen in data breaches, China warns

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Data breaches are reportedly leaking Chinese state secrets

China
Image Credit: Geralt / Pixabay (Image credit: Geralt / Pixabay)

China has released a warning against the use of foreign geographic software after it found information about its essential infrastructure and military was being leaked.

While the Ministry of State security did not attribute any blame, it did state that the software in question was built with “backdoors” to allow deliberate access to data.

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 Military, energy and transportation at risk

The Chinese government released a statement via its official WeChat account stating that data collected by foreign software included state secrets, "posing a serious threat to China's national security".

According to Reuters, the data at risk includes high-precision geographic information and three-dimensional geomorphological mapping relating to key industries including transport, energy and military.

As a result of heightened global tensions, increasing the security of key industries has been a priority for China, especially following an increase in saber rattling towards Taiwan and continued US reassurances towards the island nation.

China is suspected of being behind a number of recent cyberattacks probing US infrastructure, in order to develop an attack playbook in the event of war between the two superpowers.

The US has also been taking steps to secure domestic production of semiconductors for its military by investing several billions dollars, as part of the CHIPS Act, to build factories across the US. This has been deemed as an investment in national security, as current imports from production hubs in East Asia are at risk of Chinese espionage.

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at TechRadar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.