Gmail Hacking begins Cyber War between China and West

California, Jun 2: Web-search giant Google has accused Chinese hackers of attacking Gmail accounts of hundreds of users including senior US government officials, Chinese political activists, officials in several Asian countries, military personnel and journalists.

Google announced the hacking attempt on Gmail accounts on Wednesday, Jun 1, clearly stating that the hacking campaign was originated from Jinan, China. Hackers targeted the Gmail accounts by using malware and phishing scams that trick users into sharing their passwords, or by using passwords obtained by hacking other websites.

"The goal of this effort seems to have been to monitor the contents of these users' emails, with the perpetrators apparently using stolen passwords to change peoples' forwarding and delegation settings," Google said.

Security experts said that the motive behind the cyber attack is to get financial gains. The US government officials said that they are looking to the matter seriously.

"We're looking into these reports and are seeking to gather the facts," said White House spokesperson Tommy Vietor. "We have no reason to believe that any official US government email accounts were accessed. I'd refer you to FBI for additional details."

The fresh hacking attempt on Google further intensifies the stranded relationship between the Google and the Chinese Communist government. Google pulled out its search engine service out of China after a series of fight between the Communist government over censorship.

It's not the first time Google accuse China of attempting to block or hack its service. In Mar 2011, the California based company accused Chinese government of blocking its Gmail service in China. But, China rejected the accusation by saying that it was "unacceptable".

Moreover, the whistle blower website WikiLeaks revealed that China's ruling Communist Party ordered the attack on search engine Google.

Many experts opinionated that the fresh hacking attempt by Chinese hackers have started a 'Cyber War' between the China and Western powers. Many of the western countries believe that Chinese government has been funding these attacks.

OneIndia News