"China's Cyberwarfare Capabilities Overstated Compared to Reality... North Korea Similar to Japan"

International Institute for Strategic Studies Analyzes Major Countries' Cyberwarfare Capabilities
"China's Cybersecurity Capability Weak... US Overwhelmingly Ranks 1st"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] A report has emerged stating that China's cyber warfare capabilities are less robust than previously known. Additionally, an analysis suggested that North Korea's cyber attack capabilities are comparable to those of Japan.

On the 27th (local time), major foreign media outlets cited a report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), which revealed that the Chinese authorities' inadequate intelligence analysis system and cybersecurity capabilities are negatively impacting the country's cyber warfare strength.

In this report, IISS classified major countries into three groups based on their level of cyber warfare capabilities.

According to this classification, the United States was the only country belonging to the so-called "top tier," recognized as having the most powerful cyber warfare capabilities.

Meanwhile, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, and Israel were categorized as "second tier."

Previously, China was believed to possess cyber warfare capabilities on par with the United States, but the analysis indicates that it is difficult to compare China and the U.S. equally in reality.

Greg Austin, a cyber expert at IISS, stated, "Major media have highlighted only the positive aspects of China's digital technologies such as artificial intelligence," adding, "This has led to an exaggeration of China's cyber warfare capabilities."

The report noted, "Chinese authorities have focused solely on controlling the content circulated within their domestic internet networks, while relatively neglecting the control of the distribution networks that deliver this content." As a result, it is interpreted that security technologies for internet distribution networks, a core area of cybersecurity, lag behind those of other countries.

The report also stated that China's cyber intelligence analysis capabilities do not match those of the "Five Eyes" (an intelligence alliance comprising the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).

The analysis suggests that the reason the United States has overwhelmingly strong cyber warfare capabilities is due to the development of its domestic digital industry. The U.S. has also significantly advanced its cyber intelligence capabilities by actively utilizing intelligence alliances such as the Five Eyes.

However, the report added that vulnerabilities still exist against so-called ransomware attacks, such as the large-scale cyberattack recently targeting Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. oil pipeline company.

Robert Hanigan, director at cybersecurity firm BlueVoyant, said, "Western countries continue to be attacked by civilian hacking groups based in Russia," and that these ongoing attacks keep Western nations on high alert.

Furthermore, it is noteworthy that North Korea was classified in the "third tier," which includes countries such as India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Iran, and Vietnam. This analysis suggests that North Korea's cybersecurity capabilities are at a level similar to that of Japan, a strong nation in the cybersecurity field.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.