China, both a cyber superpower and a high-profile target,Top 10 Cyber attacks in China  has been involved in numerous notable cyber operations globally—either as the aggressor or the victim. This analysis outlines ten major cyberattacks involving China, categorized by attribution, methods, and implications on global cybersecurity and geopolitical dynamics.

1. Anonymous Attacks on Chinese Government Websites (2012)

• Target: Multiple Chinese government sites
• Attribution: Anonymous (Hacktivist collective)
• Type: Website defacement & data leaks
• Overview: Anonymous launched cyberattacks to protest censorship and human rights abuses, defacing official Chinese websites and exposing admin credentials.
• Impact: Embarrassed government agencies, showed weaknesses in local government IT systems.

.     Source: https://www.route-fifty.com/cybersecurity/2012/04/chinas-         government-is-latest-anonymous-victim/308637/

2.FireEye Report – Operation Poisoned Hurricane (2015)

• Target: Chinese government and military infrastructure
• Attribution: Unconfirmed (likely Western state-sponsored actors)
• Type: Malware infiltration (likely via fake software updates)
• Overview: A sophisticated malware campaign was found targeting Chinese systems using fake versions of legitimate Chinese software.
• Impact: Revealed foreign cyber-espionage activity within sensitive Chinese networks.

• 3. Shadow Brokers Leak of Chinese Cyber Tools (2021)
• Target: Chinese cyber espionage group (APT31 & APT40)
• Attribution: Unknown (possibly Western intelligence leak)
• Type: Leak of hacking tools and techniques
• Overview: Tools used by Chinese hackers were leaked, compromising active campaigns and embarrassing China internationally.
• Impact: Loss of operational secrecy and potential restructuring of offensive teams.
• Source: https://thehackernews.com/search/label/The%20Shadow%20Brokers

4.GitHub DDoS Attack via Chinese Great Cannon (Backfire Incident, 2015)

• Target: GitHub, but DDoS traffic originated from China
• Attribution: The Great Cannon of China
• Type: Reflected JavaScript-based DDoS
• Overview: The attack unintentionally disrupted services in China itself when the weaponized traffic overwhelmed local ISPs.
• Impact: Highlighted risks of China’s offensive cyber tools to its own infrastructure.
• Source: https://citizenlab.ca/2015/04/chinas-great-cannon/

5. Chinese University Cyberattack (2022)

• Target: Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), linked to Chinese aerospace research
• Attribution: U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) (claimed by China)
• Type: Espionage
• Overview: China accused the NSA of conducting cyberattacks on the university, exfiltrating sensitive defence-related information.
• Impact: Diplomatic fallout; highlighted that Chinese academia is a frequent cyber target.
• Source: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202201/1250092.shtml

6. Chinese Industrial SCADA Attacks (Multiple Incidents, 2010s–2020s)

• Target: Infrastructure – power plants, transport, water systems
• Attribution: Suspected foreign APTs (U.S., India)
• Type: ICS/SCADA probing & malware injections
• Overview: Chinese state media has accused Western actors of probing or planting malware in industrial systems.
• Impact: Heightened urgency in China’s push for self-developed ICS security.
• Source: https://hackers-arise.com/scada-hacking-the-most-important-scada-ics-attacks-in-history/

7. Massive 2013 DDoS on Chinese DNS Infrastructure

• Target: China’s .cn top-level domain servers
• Attribution: Unknown (suspected criminal or rival state actors)
• Type: Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
• Overview: China experienced its largest-ever DDoS attack, temporarily disabling access to many domestic websites.
• Impact: Prompted the development of China’s “national DNS” infrastructure.
• Source: https://phys.org/news/2013-08-china-internet-largest.html

8. Alleged Indian-Origin Cyberattacks During 2020 Border Clash

• Target: Chinese telecoms, railway systems, and banks
• Attribution: Pro-India hacktivist groups (e.g., Indian Cyber Force)
• Type: DDoS & data defacement
• Overview: As border tensions escalated, China reported waves of attacks disrupting commercial and communication systems.
• Impact: Political messaging and digital retaliation; raised cybersecurity tensions in Asia.
• Source: https://thedefensepost.com/2022/04/08/india-chinese-cyber-attack/

9. RedEcho Targeting Chinese Infrastructure (2021)

• Target: Chinese power grid systems
• Attribution: Suspected Indian APT “RedEcho”
• Type: Advanced persistent threat (APT) – malware insertion
• Overview: Recorded Future reported targeted intrusions in Chinese energy infrastructure. China later warned of rising “cyber threats from abroad.”
• Impact: Potential compromise of critical energy systems.
• Source: https://therecord.media/redecho-group-parks-domains-after-public-exposure

10.Chinese Surveillance Systems Breached (2022)

• Target: Xinjiang Police & Security Systems
• Attribution: Anonymous whistleblower or hacktivist group
• Type: Data leak (surveillance records, photos, personal data)
• Overview: Internal police documents and images from Xinjiang’s surveillance systems were leaked, revealing abuses.
• Impact: International backlash, U.N. condemnation, reputational damage to China’s surveillance model.
• Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/10/10/1060982/china-pandemic-cameras-surveillance-state-book/