Wall Street Journal computers hacked by Chinese

The Wall Street Journal said its computer systems had been infiltrated by Chinese hackers for the apparent purpose of monitoring the newspaper’s China coverage.

Siobhan Gorman, Devlin Barrett and Danny Yadron of The Journal write, “‘Evidence shows that infiltration efforts target the monitoring of the Journal’s coverage of China, and are not an attempt to gain commercial advantage or to misappropriate customer information,’ Paula Keve, chief spokeswoman for the Journal’s parent company, Dow Jones & Co., said in a written statement Thursday. Dow Jones is a unit of News Corp.

“The infiltration of networks related to coverage of China is an ‘ongoing issue,’ Ms. Keve said. ‘We continue to work closely with the authorities and outside security specialists, taking extensive measures to protect our customers, employees, journalists and sources.’

“She said the Journal on Thursday completed a network overhaul to bolster security. ‘We fully intend to continue the aggressive and independent journalism for which we are known,’ she said.

“One of the ways the hackers penetrated the paper’s computer system was through its Beijing bureau, people familiar with The Wall Street Journal incident said.

“The statement didn’t address how the hacking occurred. The paper has faced hacking threats from China on and off during the past few years.”

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