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Cyber offensives by China against foreign targets are of concern to the international community because its military and civilian technological institutions work together to achieve greater effectiveness thanks to the combination of civilian and military technology services. In democratic countries, it is proving to be extremely difficult to replicate this sophisticated approach. Xi Jinping, the president of China, has outlined his ambition for China to become a cyber power by 2020; to achieve this goal, significant investments have been made into this initiative since 2014.
To enhance the country's offensive cyber capabilities, billions of dollars have been allocated, organizational structures have been refined within the security agencies, and legal frameworks have been established. In addition, there is a lesser-known aspect of the hacker community in China and how it works together with state-sponsored efforts to combat cybercrime.
A number of these hackers participate in hacking competitions and bug bounty programs, focusing on Western products and systems. They provide vulnerabilities that are useful for offensive cyber activities, and they are associated with companies that work closely with government agencies. According to recent warnings from US and British officials, China's cyber threat is increasing. A recent study by Eugenio Benincasa sheds light on China's cyber offensives. According to the White House cyber director, Beijing can cause havoc in the cyber sphere, while the head of a UK spy agency describes the challenge as "epoch-defining."
According to the research, China's offensive cyber ecosystem is characterized by hacking contests, bug bounties, and hacking contests, demonstrating that it is a sophisticated system enabling unauthorized access, data theft, and system compromises to keep the state at bay. According to Chinese government regulations, hackers are evaluated based on the performance they display in hacking competitions and bug bounty programs. Two types of researchers belong to this group: prominent researchers associated with Chinese companies with connections to intelligence agencies, and government contractors that are not publicly visible.
In China, cyber operations are executed by hired hackers, while elite researchers research vulnerabilities. A similar setup is aligned with China's Military-Civil Fusion program, which utilizes civilian talent to support the military. As China's cybersecurity industry matures, education opportunities are expanding, and international hacking competitions are becoming increasingly popular, creating a strong foundation for the sector.
As Chinese teams have excelled in prestigious contests such as DEFCON CTF and Pwn2Own, they have challenged the dominance of the United States. Several Chinese civilian hackers have contributed greatly to bug bounty programs of major US companies, exposing vulnerabilities and gaining recognition for their contributions.
The government has strategically utilized civilian resources for cyber activities, blurring the line between military and civil domains in cyberspace by making it difficult for democratic nations to keep up. As a result of China's weaponization of civilian hackers, democratic nations face a major challenge. The integration of civilian and military capabilities in cyber offensives highlights the urgent need for stronger global cybersecurity measures.
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