The Biden administration recently revealed that the Chinese balloon that flew across the United States was part of a large-scale military-linked aerial spying program that targeted more than 40 countries. The balloon was equipped with high-tech equipment designed to collect sensitive information from its targets. The U.S. government has stated that the balloon was not a weather balloon as China had claimed, but was instead capable of conducting signals intelligence collection. The U.S. is now reaching out to other countries that have been targeted by the Chinese surveillance program and is looking into potential action in response to the balloon's incursion into U.S. airspace. The manufacturer of the balloon has been linked to the Chinese military, and the U.S. has previously charged Chinese hackers with stealing trade secrets and personal data from American companies.
This Cyber News was published on www.securityweek.com. Publication date: Thu, 09 Feb 2023 17:55:03 +0000