After a massive data leak, China’s cabinet is stressing the importance of cybersecurity. The leak, which was announced last week, involved the theft of personal information from more than 7 million people.
“Cybersecurity is a matter of national security,” said Ma Kai, secretary-general of the State Council. “The State Council has always attached great importance to it.”
The leak has raised concerns about the safety of China’s online infrastructure. In response to China’s Cabinet stresses Cybersecurity after Data Leak, the government has announced plans to step up its efforts to protect citizens’ data.
This includes improved monitoring of online activity and increased cooperation with foreign governments and companies. The government has also urged businesses and individuals to take steps to protect their information after China’s Cabinet Stresses Cybersecurity After Data Leak.
A State Council meeting led by Premier Li Keqiang emphasized the importance of improving regulations and regulatory requirements, promptly enhancing security management and privacy protection abilities, safeguarding physical and informational information, and otherwise maintaining the security of commercial and individual data in accordance with the law. The measures were designed to be used by the general public and businesses to ensure that they had peace of mind. The report indicated that these measures could function in such a way as to promote safety and security.
The Xinhua article made no direct reference to the breach, and other state media reports have come out of the same silence. A group of unknown hackers reportedly leaked data on hundreds of millions of people after breaking into a Shanghai police database earlier this week. The theft of over 23 terabytes of information has ignited discussions about data and security. The news garnered attention in the technology industry.
If China’s Cabinet Stresses Cybersecurity after data leak is confirmed, it could prove to be a massive black eye for Xi Jinping’s administration, which has in previous years gone after tech companies such as Didi Global Inc. for security vulnerabilities.
“The breach has clearly caught the attention of China’s top leadership — and no wonder,” said Kendra Schaefer. That s troubling in light of the fact that the government has made cybersecurity a priority issue, even though this particular breach was more of a gross breach of trust.
Questions remain about how the hackers apparently gained access to the Ministry of Public Security s Shanghai branch trove, which online sources say contained user data concerning activity from popular Chinese apps, addresses, and phone numbers. A seller asked for 10 bitcoins, worth around $200,000, in exchange for the data.
“China is long overdue for experiencing a breach of this scale,” said Daron Hartvigsen, managing director at global advisory firm StoneTurn. Historically the People’s Republic of China was not considered to be a viable target for cyber-theft. Threat actors typically paid particular attention to their opponents who were easier to extort and ransom. It is unclear whether this strategy would yield comparable financial gains in China.
Meanwhile, Xi has been in China for a very long while, identifying data as a key source for training and governing China’s largest economy. Wednesday’s planning meeting focused on studying and dealing with dishonest activities and private abuses that disadvantage individuals and groups, the report states.