It was supposed to be just another piece of Chinese propaganda. It ended up as a major “oops,” revealing that a Chinese military university is engaged in cyberwarfare against the U.S.
The Epoch Times reports that the film, screened in mid-July, included a screenshot that it calls a “damaging revelation.” Here’s the screenshot:
And here‘s why it’s so damaging, according to the Times:
The screenshots appear as B-roll footage in the documentary for six seconds—between 11:04 and 11:10 minutes—showing custom-built Chinese software apparently launching a cyber-attack against the main website of the Falun Gong spiritual practice, by using a compromised IP address belonging to a United States university.
The screenshots show the name of the software and the Chinese university that built it, the Electrical Engineering University of China‘s People’s Liberation Army—direct evidence that the PLA is involved in coding cyber-attack software directed against a Chinese dissident group.
But it gets better. A translation of the screenshot says “Choose Attack Target,” and then the operator selects an IP address, 138.26.72.17. There’s also a big “Attack” button on screen. You may be wondering: Where is that IP address is located? We have an answer: How about the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB).
“The CCP has leaked its top secret here,” Jason Ma, a commentator for New Tang Dynasty Television, told the Times. “This is the first time we see clearly that one of the top Chinese military universities is doing this research and developing software for cyber-attacks. There’s solid proof of it in this video.”
Of course, the Chinese government has long denied any such actions. But earlier this month the country was alleged to have been behind one of the most extensive attacks in history.
The new revelation comes as Vice President Joe Biden wrapped up a goodwill tour in China on Sunday.
Read the full story from the Epoch Times.
(H/T: Business Insider)