Close Menu
Best in TechnologyBest in Technology
  • News
  • Phones
  • Laptops
  • Gadgets
  • Gaming
  • AI
  • Tips
  • More
    • Web Stories
    • Global
    • Press Release

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news and updates directly to your inbox.

What's On

Apple Sues the YouTuber Who Leaked iOS 26

19 July 2025

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Said to Offer Slightly Larger Screen and Narrower Bezels

18 July 2025

Apple Sues YouTuber Jon Prosser of FPT for Alleged iOS 26 Leaks; Calls it a Trade Secret

18 July 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Just In
  • Apple Sues the YouTuber Who Leaked iOS 26
  • Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Said to Offer Slightly Larger Screen and Narrower Bezels
  • Apple Sues YouTuber Jon Prosser of FPT for Alleged iOS 26 Leaks; Calls it a Trade Secret
  • Dell 16 Plus (AMD, 2025) Price (19 Jul 2025) Specification & Reviews । Dell Laptops
  • The Best Coffee Concentrates
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8’s Flexible Display Could Be Crease-Free: Ming-Chi Kuo
  • Dell 14 2-in-1 Plus Price (18 Jul 2025) Specification & Reviews । Dell Laptops
  • Eddington Director Ari Aster Couldn’t Stand ‘Living in the Internet.’ So He Made a Movie About It
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest Vimeo
Best in TechnologyBest in Technology
  • News
  • Phones
  • Laptops
  • Gadgets
  • Gaming
  • AI
  • Tips
  • More
    • Web Stories
    • Global
    • Press Release
Subscribe
Best in TechnologyBest in Technology
Home » How China’s Patriotic ‘Honkers’ Became the Nation’s Elite Cyberspies
News

How China’s Patriotic ‘Honkers’ Became the Nation’s Elite Cyberspies

News RoomBy News Room18 July 20253 Mins Read
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit Telegram Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Topsec and Venustech were two firms alleged to have assisted these efforts. Topsec employed a number of former Honkers, including the founder of the Honker Union of China, and Topsec’s founder once acknowledged in an interview that the PLA directed his company. In 2015, Topsec was linked to state-sponsored cyber operations, including the Anthem Insurance breach in the US.

Over the years, many tools used by China APT groups were built by Honkers, and the PLA and MSS mined them for vulnerability research and exploit development. In 1999, Huang Xin (glacier), a member of Green Army, released “Glacier,” a remote-access trojan. The next year, he and Yang Yong (coolc) from XFocus released X-Scan, a tool to scan networks for vulnerabilities that is still used by hackers in China today. In 2003, two members of Honker Union released HTRAN, a tool to hide an attacker’s location by rerouting their traffic through proxy computers, which has been used by China’s APTs. Tan and fellow NCPH member Zhou Jibing (whg) are believed to have created the PlugX backdoor in 2008, which has been used by more than 10 Chinese APTs. According to Benincasa, Zhou developed it even further to produce ShadowPad, which has been used by APT 41 and others.

Over the years, leaks and US indictments against former Honkers have exposed their alleged post-Honker spy careers, as well as China’s use of for-profit firms for state hacking operations. The latter include i-Soon and Integrity Tech, both launched by former Honkers.

Wu Haibo (shutdown), formerly of Green Army and 0x557, launched i-Soon in 2010. And last year, someone leaked internal i-Soon files and chat logs, exposing the company’s espionage work on behalf of the MSS and MPS. In March this year, eight i-Soon employees and two MPS officers were indicted by the US for hacking operations that targeted US government agencies, Asian foreign ministries, dissidents, and media outlets.

Integrity Tech, founded in 2010 by former Green Army member Cai Jingjing (cbird), was sanctioned by the US this year over ties to global infrastructure hacks.

This year, the US also indicted former Green Army members Zhou and Wu for conducting state hacking operations and sanctioned Zhou over links to APT 27. In addition to engaging in state-sponsored hacking, he allegedly also ran a data-leak service selling some of the stolen data to customers, including intelligence agencies.

This isn’t unlike early-generation US hackers who also transitioned to become cybersecurity company founders and also got recruited by the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency or hired by contractors to perform hacking operations for US operations. But unlike the US, China’s whole-of-society intelligence authorities have compelled some Chinese citizens and companies to collaborate with the state in conducting espionage, Kozy notes.

“I think that China from the beginning just thought, ‘We can co-opt [the Honkers] for state interests.’” Kozy says. “And … because a lot of these young guys had patriotic leanings to begin with, they were kind of pressed into service by saying, ‘Hey you’re going to be doing a lot of really good things for the country.’ Also, many of them started to realize they could get rich doing it.”

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Previous ArticleSamsung Galaxy Z TriFold’s Chipset Revealed in One UI 8 Code: Report
Next Article Oppo Find X9 Ultra Could Be Available With an Optional Hasselblad Photography Kit at Launch

Related Articles

News

Apple Sues the YouTuber Who Leaked iOS 26

19 July 2025
News

The Best Coffee Concentrates

18 July 2025
News

Eddington Director Ari Aster Couldn’t Stand ‘Living in the Internet.’ So He Made a Movie About It

18 July 2025
News

Italian YouTuber Faces Jail Time for Showing Android Handhelds With Emulated Games

18 July 2025
News

Review: Lettuce Grow Indoor Farmstand

18 July 2025
News

Review: Roborock Saros Z70

18 July 2025
Demo
Top Articles

ChatGPT o1 vs. o1-mini vs. 4o: Which should you use?

15 December 2024101 Views

Costco partners with Electric Era to bring back EV charging in the U.S.

28 October 202495 Views

Oppo Reno 14, Reno 14 Pro India Launch Timeline and Colourways Leaked

27 May 202582 Views

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news and updates directly to your inbox.

Latest News
Phones

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8’s Flexible Display Could Be Crease-Free: Ming-Chi Kuo

News Room18 July 2025
Laptops

Dell 14 2-in-1 Plus Price (18 Jul 2025) Specification & Reviews । Dell Laptops

News Room18 July 2025
News

Eddington Director Ari Aster Couldn’t Stand ‘Living in the Internet.’ So He Made a Movie About It

News Room18 July 2025
Most Popular

The Spectacular Burnout of a Solar Panel Salesman

13 January 2025124 Views

ChatGPT o1 vs. o1-mini vs. 4o: Which should you use?

15 December 2024101 Views

Costco partners with Electric Era to bring back EV charging in the U.S.

28 October 202495 Views
Our Picks

Dell 16 Plus (AMD, 2025) Price (19 Jul 2025) Specification & Reviews । Dell Laptops

18 July 2025

The Best Coffee Concentrates

18 July 2025

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8’s Flexible Display Could Be Crease-Free: Ming-Chi Kuo

18 July 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest tech news and updates directly to your inbox.

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
© 2025 Best in Technology. All Rights Reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.