Schools at center of Google cyberattack deny involvement

A Chinese university thought to be at the center of last month’s cyberattack on Google is denying any involvement in the scheme.

Representatives from Shanghai Jiaotong University this weekend described those reports to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, as “baseless allegations which may harm the university’s reputation.”

{mosads}While the school did admit its computers could have been involved in the plot, which targeted Google, other U.S. businesses and human rights activists in China, the university’s spokesperson dismissed any possibility the attack started there.

A second school thought to be involved — Lanxiang Vocational School — also fired back this weekend at reports it was part of the cyberattack, which The New York Times first revealed earlier this week.

Contrary to the Times‘ report, officials at Lanxiang said their internal investigation revealed no attack had originated at the school. Additionally, they disputed the Times‘ assertion that their institution, a vocational program, was in any way tied to the Chinese military.

Nevertheless, is still unclear whether the Chinese government was in any way involved in the attacks, which a team of officials from the National Security Agency and dozens of security experts have been researching since the scheme was first reported on January 12.


Still, investigators do know those attacks began as early as April and targeted industry trade secrets, users’ screen names and passwords and the e-mail accounts of human rights activists in China, according to media reports.