He Exposed a Secret Chinese Military Hacking Unit 😳
A security researcher exposed PLA Unit 61398, a Chinese military hacking unit responsible for over 140 cyberattacks against US targets. The researcher recognized the unit's headquarters building during a TV broadcast, leading to public identification of the covert operation.
Summary
The transcript describes a dramatic moment when a security researcher's ex-wife calls him urgently, telling him to turn on his television. A US security firm had just publicly announced that over 140 targets in the United States had been electronically attacked by a branch of the Chinese military. The researcher's security firm had traced the data directly to the source: PLA Unit 61398, a military unit that recruited English-speaking operatives to conduct computer network operations. The researcher was watching the TV coverage in his office when he saw the very first scene—the headquarters building of Unit 61398 displayed on screen. He recognized the building immediately, having apparently become familiar with it through his investigation. The footage showed someone in a taxi urgently directing the driver to leave the location, emphasizing 'Drive away' rather than 'stop,' suggesting the dramatic exposure forced a hasty evacuation of the compromised facility.
Key Insights
- A US security firm identified over 140 electronic attack targets in the United States attributed to a branch of the Chinese military
- PLA Unit 61398 deliberately recruited English-speaking personnel to conduct computer network operations
- The researcher was able to recognize PLA Unit 61398's headquarters building when it was broadcast on television during news coverage
- Security firm data investigation led directly to the physical location and identification of Unit 61398's headquarters
- The public exposure was dramatic enough to apparently trigger an immediate evacuation order at the compromised military facility
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] my cell phone rings and I answer it and it's my now ex-wife. Her exact words, "What the did you do?" She's like, "Turn on your TV." >> A US security firm says over 140 targets in this country have been hit electronically by a branch of the Chinese military. >> Data [music] took us right to the doorstep of Unit 61398. They recruited English-speaking people and they did what we call computer network operations. >> And I have a TV right in my office. I turn it on and I'm not even kidding, the very first scene I saw, I recognized the [0:31] building in the background. It's PLA Unit 61398's headquarters. And there's like a dude in…
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