Google hackers: US closing in

Was it just the one hacker?

It was a major blow to US online security, not to mention a cyber attack on one of the web's biggest sites, as well as a number of other companies, but US officials have said they are close to finding the elusive 'Google hackers'.

The investigation came about after a "highly sophisticated" attack, allegedly originating from China, attacked the Google site, infiltrating its software coding and the e-mail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.

The attack led to Google threatening to pull out of China amid complaints about the cyber attacks on its systems and the country's censorship laws. At the time, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said the US should "respect the facts" and stop making "groundless accusations against China" but reports are now coming it that the authorities have tracked down the author of the code behind the attacks.

Freelance hacker or government op?

The Financial Times has said US officials are after a hacker who is a Chinese "freelance security consultant in his 30s". The 'mastermind' had apparently published extracts of the attack code on a hacker forum, that Chinese officials had special access to.

The paper has quoted a single, unnamed government researcher as saying, "If he wants to do the research he's good at, he has to toe the line now and again." The article also stated that the hacker was working as a freelancer and would have preferred not to have contributed to the attack, but felt pressure from Chinese officials.

"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 source said. "The state has privileged access to these researchers' work."

Previously, the cyber attacks have been linked to pupils at two Chinese colleges - the prestigious Shanghai Jiaotong University and the Lanxiang vocational school. The schools have denied these allegations, despite the fact it has the world's biggest computer library it primarily trains hairdressers, chefs and car mechanics.

However despite a professor at Jiaotong saying, "Students hacking into foreign websites is quite normal" no official charges have been made against the institution. For now, it looks like there was a single hacker behind it, though expect the US allegations against China to continue.

Relevant articles:

China's online controversy | The day Europe turned on Internet Explorer | Chinese search engine hacked

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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