According to a draft of the annual U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Chinese intelligence has continually “infiltrated U.S. national security entities, and extracted information with serious consequences for U.S. national security.” Stolen intelligence includes information on the plans and operations of U.S. military forces, and the designs of U.S. weapons and weapons systems. The identities of undercover government agents are also at stake as 5.6 million classified fingerprints were obtained. The biometric data can be duplicated and give access to classified documents and areas.
These cyber-attacks are believed to have several contributors, including the Ministry of State Security (MSS), the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the PLA General Political Department, the PLA United Front Work Department and the Communist Party military.
The final version of the report will be released on November 16.