According to a media report, hackers suspected of coming from China have been spying on the Volkswagen Group for years. Spiegel and ZDF reported on 40 internal documents that made it possible to “reconstruct a large-scale, previously unknown cyber attack on Volkswagen.” The aim was therefore to access technological knowledge.
According to the report, the cyber attacks occurred several years ago and began in 2010. In the years that followed, the hackers repeatedly succeeded in gaining extensive access rights to VW’s internal data. An internal analysis by the group considers it likely that all attacks were carried out by the same perpetrators.
The attackers are said to have stolen thousands of files from the car manufacturer, as the company basically confirmed. When asked, a company spokesman declined to comment on details. However, the company pointed out in a statement that the incident happened ten years ago. According to media reports, up to 19,000 files are said to have been stolen; overall, the reports limit the period of the crime to 2010 to 2014 or 2015.
According to the research, the attackers targeted various technologies, from “petrol engine development” and “transmission development” to alternative drive technologies such as electromobility and fuel cells. “They were interested in transmission control software, in technical manuals, for example how to program the direct shift transmission,” he quoted Spiegel an expert familiar with the case.
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There is no evidence of China’s authorship, but there is plenty of evidence. The hackers’ IP addresses led to Beijing and the Chinese military, an insider said. Employees of German security authorities also reported that an attack by Chinese state hackers was highly likely Spiegel and ZDF. According to reports, the Chinese embassy in Berlin reacted angrily to suspected connections to China and emphasized that the country condemns any form of cyber espionage.
According to a media report, hackers suspected of coming from China have been spying on the Volkswagen Group for years. Spiegel and ZDF reported on 40 internal documents that made it possible to “reconstruct a large-scale, previously unknown cyber attack on Volkswagen.” The aim was therefore to access technological knowledge.
According to the report, the cyber attacks occurred several years ago and began in 2010. In the years that followed, the hackers repeatedly succeeded in gaining extensive access rights to VW’s internal data. An internal analysis by the group considers it likely that all attacks were carried out by the same perpetrators.