China Stole Data For Years, But Learning How To Read It Is What Changed The Global Spy Game

From Daily Caller.com (Dec. 22):

Chinese intelligence operators have been stealing data from the United States and other nations for years, but it was learning how to interpret that data that truly changed the global spy game.

The change was first noticed by American intelligence agencies around 2013, when Chinese agents suddenly and effectively began identifying and surveilling U.S. intelligence assets and members of their families as they traveled abroad — sometimes from the time they cleared passport control.

According to a report from ForeignPolicy.com, the CIA had developed a strategy for recruiting assets within the Chinese Communist Party and even the military by exploiting the corruption and pay-for-play dynamic that was built into the system. Since promotions and careers were often bought and sold for cash — and officials who did not engage in those corrupt dealings were considered weak – it became standard procedure for the CIA to effectively buy promotions for their own assets as they climbed the ladder.

But between 2010 and 2012, Chinese intelligence officials were made aware of the scope of the U.S.’s  infiltration. Using a flaw in the CIA’s communication networks, China was able to root out the embedded assets and sources, killing dozens and imprisoning more. The flaw China exploited was discovered in Tehran — and it is believed that Iranian officials shared that information with Beijing.

“Our mistakes showed them what their problems were,” a former CIA executive told Foreign Policy. Chinese officials used that information to take a hardline stance on the corruption that had been rampant within the Chinese Communist Party. [read more]