Authorities close in on Chinese Google hackers

US authorities have moved one step closer to finding the hackers behind the recent attacks on search giants Google.

Teams of investigators have tracked the source of the attack to two educational facilities in China. With one institution closely linked to the Chinese military, further weight has been given to accusations of state involvement in the attacks.

A man of 30 has been identified as the creator of part of the spyware code that exploited a security hole in Internet Explorer and compromised Google. However, the hacker is not a full-time government worker, and is believed to have been pressured into his role in the attack by outside sources.

“If he wants to do the research he’s good at, he has to toe the line now and again,” a US analyst said. “He would rather not have uniformed guys looking over his shoulder, but there is no way anyone of his skill level can get away from that kind of thing. The state has privileged access to these researchers’ work.”

The state-controlled Xinhua news agency have said officials at both schools have distanced themselves from any knowledge of the attacks.

Via: Financial Times