U.S. authorities are investigating whether Chinese officials secretly copied the contents of a government laptop computer during a visit to China by Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and used the info to try to hack into Commerce computers, officials and industry experts told The Associated Press.

Surreptitious copying is believed to have occurred when a laptop was left unattended during Gutierrez’s trip to Beijing for trade talks in December, humans familiar with the incident told the AP. These humans spoke on condition of anonymity considering the incident was under exploration.

Gutierrez told the AP on Thursday he could not discuss whether or how the laptop’s contents might have been copied.

“Because there is an analysis going on, I would rather not comment on that,” he said. “To the extent that there is an study going on, those are the things being looked at, those are the questions being asked. I don’t think I should supply any

speculative answers.”

A Commerce area spokesman, Rich Mills, said he could not confirm or deny such an incident in China. Asked whether the agency has issued new rules for carrying computers overseas, Mills said: “The office is continuing to improve our protection posture, and that includes providing updates, guidances and best practices to staff to maintain defense.”

It was not immediately clear what knowledge on the laptop might have been compromised, but it would be highly unorthodox for any U.S. government official to carry classified notes on a laptop overseas to China, particularly one left unattended even briefly. contemporary copying equipment can duplicate a laptop’s storage drive in just minutes.

The report of the incident is the latest in a series of worrisome cyber shield problems blamed on China and comes at a sensitive instance, with looming trade issues amidst the countries and special attention on China by the upcoming…

Orginal post by Mike

Gismos News Games Gadget Gizmo Reviews Electronic Gadgets Mechanical