Reports from Google today imply hackers based in Jinan, in the Shandong province of China are targeting G Mail accounts of US based officials, journalists and military personnel. The hacking attempt centered around tricking users into disclosing password information, and then monitoring emails.
The statement from Google added that the relevant individuals had been notified and their accounts made secure. The search and email giant went on to point out that their own defences had not been breached, and it was solely a ‘spear phising’ campaign. This is when bogus emails are delivered to users under the guise of the email service provider, asking the user to disclose passwords and other account security information.
Other targets of the alleged criminal hacking included Chinese political activists, South Korean officials and other Asia figure heads. Google announced that the corresponding governments have now been informed of the phising attempt.
This is not the first time Google has had run-ins with the Chinese, the most recent problems surrounding search censorship and privacy concerns. This significantly delayed the launch of the Google China search facility. In China the leading search engine is Baidu.
There has also been numerous other reports of G-Mail hacking in the past from the China region, especially accounts of activists and human rights groups.
