Major hacking syndicate cracked, police say

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Police in South China have detained a gang of hackers they believe are responsible for attacks on 185 government websites.

Police in Jieyang, Guangdong province, said the case is the biggest of its kind in recent years.

Suspects are accused of invading sites managed by authorities in 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions to help them to make and sell fake professional certificates.

"The gang tampered with official databases or added links to external databases so that if anyone checked up on the fake certificates, the client's name would appear," Chen Xiaoping, head of Jieyang police's cybercrime unit, said at a news conference.

"This caused great damage to the image of the government. Cracking the case has helped restore their reputation," said Xie Yaoqi, director of the public security bureau in Jieyang.

The city's office of personnel and examinations reported an attack on its website on Dec 8, after finding a link had been illegally added.

This led police to seven suspects selling fake certificates in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, and in Guangdong's Heyuan. This in turn led to the discovery of a network of connected hackers, certificate forgers, advertisers and personal data collectors scattered across at least 12 provinces.

As of July 12, police had arrested 165 people, confiscated more than 7,100 fake certificates and at least 10,000 fake seals, and are still hunting for more members of the gang.

The fake certificates were sold at between 4,000 and 10,000 yuan ($626 and $1,565), police said. The profits generated surpassed 300 million yuan.

Chen said 14 principal suspects were under the age of 30.

Questions:

1. How many government websites are the gang believed to have attacked?

2. How many people were arrested on July 12?

3. How much are the fake certificates sold for?

Answers:

1. 185.

2. 165.

3. Between 4,000 and 10,000 yuan.

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.