Threat Management

Chinese cyberespionage warnings raised by FBI, MI5 leaders

Western countries have been warned by FBI Director Christopher Wray and MI5 Director General Ken McCallum regarding the Chinese government's hacking and espionage efforts aimed at stealing key technologies, The Associated Press reports. "We consistently see that its the Chinese government that poses the biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security, and by 'our,' I mean both of our nations, along with our allies in Europe and elsewhere," said Wray. China's "covert pressure" worldwide has made threats from the country "the most game-changing challenge we face," according to McCallum. "This might feel abstract. But it's real and it's pressing. We need to talk about it. We need to act," McCallum added. However, China has denied the Western intelligence leaders' allegations of covert cyber operations, noting that there were no grounds to such claims. "We will never encourage, support, or condone cyberattacks," said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in the U.S., in a statement.

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