Public security agencies wage war against hackers

Chinese police have pledged to continue to intensify their efforts on cybersecurity, as hacking into computer systems has become a major engine for criminal activities.

Statistics released by the Ministry of Public Security on Thursday showed that cybercrime has risen over the past three years at an annual average rate of 27.7 percent.

Since the start of last year, police officers across the country have solved 2,430 criminal cases involving hackers, with the capture of more than 7,000 suspects.

Highlighting the need for improving cybersecurity, Shi You, an official from the ministry, said it has stepped up efforts targeting hacking.

“While directly infiltrating and sabotaging computer information systems, criminals have also been discovered to have provided technical support and material information for other illegal activities such as telecom fraud, online gambling and online pornography,” he said.

The secondary crimes caused by hacking not only disrupt social stability and bring economic losses for people, but they also disturb market order and harm state security, he added.

In one case, for example, Beijing police detained 16 suspects involved in the fraudulent purchase and resale of tickets to scenic tourist spots in August after receiving reports from the public complaining of difficulties in booking the tickets.

The suspects were found to have illegally used software to purchase the tickets and then resell them at a higher price, the ministry said, adding that the illicit gains of the gangs were more than 2.3 million yuan ($315,000).

The capital”s police also seized 25 mobile phones, 21 computers and 26 software programs used to illegally access the tickets when they arrested the suspects, it said.

In another case, police officers in Foshan, Guangdong province, uncovered a group of 31 people in February who had allegedly obtained profits by tampering with an app’s system data.

Shi, from the ministry, stressed the focus on technology, “as the methods used by hackers have diversified with the rapid development of technologies, including artificial intelligence and blockchain”.

He expressed his concern about the…