China denies U.S. hacking claims

• Tweet

BEIJING, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Claims that cyberattacks against U.S. computer infrastructure came from the Chinese military are "irresponsible," said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.

U.S. security company Mandiant published a 60-page report Tuesday stating that it traced cyberattacks on U.S. companies and government agencies to the Chinese military.

Hong Lei, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Tuesday there was no basis for the report. Cybercrime, he said, is an international problem that requires international solutions.

"Groundless criticism is irresponsible and unprofessional and it will not help to solve the problem," he was quoted by China's official Xinhua news agency as saying.

Mandiant said it was able to trace more than a dozen attacks to China. It said cyberattacks were likely government-sponsored efforts that originated from a unit within China's People's Liberation Army.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that it hired Mandiant to invest what it said was a cyberattack on its news operations. The U.S. newspaper described the attack as one of "sophisticated Chinese-origin."

Beijing said the claims made by the Times were unreasonable.