China issues rebuke after targeted cyberattack

China condemned an irresponsible cyberattack against the earthquake monitoring center in Central China's Wuhan on Wednesday, thought to be launched by a government-backed overseas organization, and vowed to take necessary measures to safeguard cybersecurity.

The Wuhan Municipal Emergency Management Bureau said in a statement on Wednesday some of the network equipment at the front-end station collection points of the center were subjected to a cyberattack by an overseas organization, as monitored by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and Chinese internet security company 360.

The attack severely threatened national security, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a daily news briefing.

Preliminary evidence suggests the government-backed cyberattack came from the United States, the Global Times reported.

For some time, US officials including the National Security Advisor, Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce have been making comments on so-called Chinese cyberattacks against the US, and an official from the US National Security Agency even said "espionage is what nation-states do".

When asked whether the Chinese institution's statement is a response to the remarks by US officials, Mao said it is inherently different from the US attacks against China as the notice presents basic facts.

On the one hand, the US government engages in "malicious cyber activities" against other countries around the world, including China, while on the other hand, it repeatedly hypes up supposed attacks by Chinese hackers, Mao said, adding the politicizing and weaponizing of cybersecurity issues disrupts international efforts to jointly address challenges through dialogue and cooperation.

She urged Washington to work with the rest of the world to safeguard the peace, security and stability of cyberspace in a constructive and pragmatic manner.