A Chinese official has shot down findings in a new cybercrime report that says China is "at the forefront" of cyber-spying and cyberattacks around the world. (See Cyberwarfare Now 'Business as Usual'.)

China's foreign ministry spokesman yesterday said China isn't waging cyber attacks and that its own networks have been attacked and targeted. "China has also been attacked by hackers of some countries, so the Chinese government attaches great importance to and participates in the international law enforcement cooperation in this area," said Liu Jianchao, at a briefing yesterday. Liu would not say which nations were attacking China's networks.

McAfee's Virtual Criminology Report, which was released yesterday, says Chinese hackers are suspected of being behind major high-profile attacks, and that China has led the way in cyber attacks. “The Chinese were first to use cyber attacks for political and military goals,” said James Mulvenon, director of the Center for Intelligence and Research and an expert on China's military, in the report. “Whether it is a battlefield preparation or hacking networks connected to the German chancellor, they are the first state actor to jump feet first into the 21st century cyberwarfare technology. This is becoming a more serious and open problem.”

The McAfee report warns that cyber-spying could culminate with major cyberwarfare activities within the next 10 to 12 years.

— Kelly Jackson Higgins, Senior Editor, Dark Reading