The stolen data from China's massive hack of Microsoft Exchange accounts in January may be part of a grander plan: fueling the development of world-class artificial intelligence.
(A thread.)
npr.org/2021/08/26/101…
(A thread.)
npr.org/2021/08/26/101…
Chinese government-backed hackers, known as Hafnium, stole Microsoft Exchange data from tens of thousands of unsuspecting victims: mom-and-pop shops, dentist offices, school districts and local government — all part of a brazen effort to vacuum up as much information as possible.
A Microsoft security chief said he'd never seen an attack scale up so quickly. Nation-state hackers usually focus on clear targets — they don’t have a scatter-shot approach.
In this case, the Chinese acted like cybercriminals, seemingly unconcerned about whom they swept up.
In this case, the Chinese acted like cybercriminals, seemingly unconcerned about whom they swept up.
China’s appetite for stolen information is head-spinning. Its effort to collect reams of America's private data is an open secret in the intelligence community.
Officials estimate China now has stolen all the personal identifiable information of about 80% of Americans.
Officials estimate China now has stolen all the personal identifiable information of about 80% of Americans.
Those attacks may have a greater purpose.
The Chinese Communist Party revealed in 2017 it would make building world-class AI a national priority — akin to the U.S. race to the moon.
They pledged to develop computer scientists and amass data that algorithms need to learn from.
The Chinese Communist Party revealed in 2017 it would make building world-class AI a national priority — akin to the U.S. race to the moon.
They pledged to develop computer scientists and amass data that algorithms need to learn from.
China has a major advantage in that information race: It has more than a billion people it already collects data on. But U.S. officials say large-scale heists help supplement that.
"The Chinese have more data than we have on ourselves," one former U.S. security official said.
"The Chinese have more data than we have on ourselves," one former U.S. security official said.
Officials believe all that stolen data is helping China construct the informational mosaic needed to build AI — now used to tabulate everything from insurance rates to mortgage approvals.
And we should care.
"China can social engineer to its priorities," one cyber expert said.
And we should care.
"China can social engineer to its priorities," one cyber expert said.
Read more about how exactly the Microsoft Exchange hack played out here: npr.org/2021/08/26/101…
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