China seen using 'white hat' hackers to boost cyberattack capability

TOKYO -- China is increasingly suspected of making "white hat" hackers, who are usually employed to find weaknesses in cybersecurity, complicit in cyberattacks, accelerating the country's offensive efforts in the field by effectively mobilizing its world-class private hackers.

An investigation by Nikkei other organizations had found that since 2021 -- when it became mandatory in China to report vulnerabilities in software and other products to the government -- the number of attacks in which Chinese involvement is suspected has increased sharply.