Was US laptop copied during China visit?
p2pnet news Security:- Did Chinese officials secretly copy the contents of a government laptop computer during a visit to China by US commerce secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez?
That’s what US officials want to know, suspecting the stolen data may have been used to try to hack commerce computers, says the Associated Press.
The copying, “is believed to have occurred when a laptop was left unattended during Gutierrez’s trip to Beijing for trade talks in December, people familiar with the incident told the AP,” it says, going on:
“Because there is an investigation going on, I would rather not comment on that,” Gutierrez is quoted as saying.
“To the extent that there is an investigation going on, those are the things being looked at, those are the questions being asked. I don’t think I should provide any speculative answers.”
Whatever information the laptop might have been carrying, “it would be highly unorthodox for any U.S. government official to carry classified data on a laptop overseas to China, especially one left unattended even briefly,” says the story, going on, “Modern copying equipment can duplicate a laptop’s storage drive in just minutes”.
The report is the latest, ” in a series of worrisome cyber security problems blamed on China and comes at a sensitive time, with looming trade issues between the countries and special attention on China over the upcoming summer Olympics,” says AP.
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Associated Press -US probes whether laptop copied on China trip, May 28, 2008
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May 30th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Bush is planning a war against China?
Why else the publicity before the facts are known? WOMD lie again?
Then, what secret can a commerce department computer have that China wants?
The whole idea is silly.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Why don’t government employees have laptops with a lock on them? I mean an actual key-lock that prevents them from being opened or turned on without a key.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Because locks aren’t that hard to pick, unless you want your “laptop” to become a frigging safe….
May 31st, 2008 at 3:35 am
Now US officials know what its like when visitors go through US borders
May 31st, 2008 at 12:08 pm
will this stop me from going to china on vacation, i mean come on i just want to go to site seeing, will i get thrown in prison?