Chinese Schools 'behind Cyber Attacks on Google'

AP

Claims: Cyber attacks on Googles Gmail accounts have been linked to two educational institutes in China, according to reports

KOMPAS.com - The cyber-attack on Google’s computers which may result in the search giant pulling its Chinese operations has been traced to two Chinese schools. Two education institutions – Jiaotong University and Lanxiang Vocational School, which has links to the Chinese military – were involved in the internet attacks on Google and up to 30 other U.S. companies, according to the New York Times.

Its report claims security investigators have traced hacking to computers at the institutions. The Shanghai Jiantong University is one of China's top academic institutions.

Officials told the Times they had not heard about the Google attacks being traced back to their computers but indicated a willingness to investigate. 
A professor at the school didn't rule out the possibility that the attacks came from the school, but said they might simply have been someone ‘experimenting with their hacking skills’.

Adobe and Rackspace have confirmed they were also targeted in the attacks, which may have begun in April 2009 - earlier than previously believed.
In January, Google revealed it had been victims of a ‘highly sophisticated and targeted attack’ involving an attack to hack the Gmail accounts of human rights activists in China.

It responded by threatening to pull out of the country unless it was able to operate uncensored. Google has said it is prepared to close its China-based operation including shutting its offices in the country.

However, the Chinese government has denied any involvement in the cyber-attacks, said to have exploited a security weakness in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer web browser. Officials have publicly insisted Google obey its restrictions against showing links deemed to be subversive or pornographic. Google’s Chinese search engine remains in operation and its results are still censored.