Recent weeks have seen a surge in alleged cyberattacks targeting official websites within mainland china. The hacker group identifying itself as “Anonymous 64” has claimed obligation, asserting they breached numerous sites and posted accusations against prominent Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. These claims follow a period of heightened activity by the Ministry of State Security (MSS),marked by public campaigns focused on catching spies, which have drawn considerable scrutiny.

Targets Claimed by Anonymous 64

Anonymous 64 announced on the X platform that they had compromised multiple websites, purportedly under the guise of the Ministry of State Security of the Communist Party of China. The group listed several alleged targets:

• Military Research and Advancement Technology Association of the Communist Party of China
• Guilin Aviation and Technology College
• Army-level manned space engineering office
• China International News
• Belt and Road Trade Mall Registration Service Center
• Talent Recruitment Platform
• Henan Yinxu Museum

“Traitors” Identified and Accused

The group further identified five individuals as traitors allegedly fostered by the CCP. These individuals, all holding high-ranking positions, where publicly accused of various offenses. The list included:

• Li Shulei, minister of Public Security
• wang Xiaohong, Minister of the Development and Reform Commission
• Zheng Zhanjie, vice Premier
• He Lifeng, Vice Premier
• Wang Yi, Foreign Minister

Alongside their names and positions, Anonymous 64 reportedly listed dates of birth, ID numbers, and descriptions of alleged crimes, ominously stating their ending is “a dead end.”

the accusations leveled against these officials were detailed and specific:

• Li Shulei: Controlling news and public opinion, wholly blocking the channels for people to obtain data, and online censorship is overwhelming, and only praise is allowed.
• Wang Xiaohong: Responsible for maintaining stability, abuse of crimes and cross-provincial pursuit, and the public security system has completely become a violent machine for the powerful.
• Zheng Zhanjie: Maliciously implementing the policy of cutting leeks, private enterprises are in desperate situations, and youth unemployment rate has repeatedly hit new highs.
• He Lifeng: Decision-making imbalance triggered a collapse in the stock market, a plummeting housing market, foreign capital fleeing, bankruptcy, and corporate bankruptcy.
• Wang Yi: Engaging in wolf war diplomacy, which has led to foreign companies’ withdrawal of investment, technology blockade, tariff encirclement, and China’s impulse into the abyss of international isolation.

The group has consistently promoted the slogan removing the Communist Party and recreating the “New China”.

Past Actions Attributed to Anonymous 64

This is not the first time Anonymous 64 has claimed responsibility for such actions. In the past, the group has allegedly targeted other Chinese websites:

• During the 2023 “National Day” period, they reportedly attacked websites such as the Wuchang Vocational College of the Communist Party of China Military Academy, replacing the homepage with an image of Xi Jinping’s Eighteen-level Hell Crime List, detailing alleged offenses by the Chinese president.
• On the 34th anniversary of the June 4th Incident in 2023, the group claimed to have breached several official CCP websites, inserting photos of Don’t forget the June 4th and images of tanks in Beijing.
• Following the CCP’s Two Sessions in March 2024, the official website of China Comment News Agency purportedly published an article titled “The Goverment Work Report of Chinese Premier Li Qiang 『Excerpted,” criticizing the Chinese government. The article, allegedly posted by Anonymous 64, stated that China’s economy is unable to make up for the future and people’s life is miserable and the whole world sees the truth concealed by Xi Jinping at the Two Sessions. The article, written in Li Qiang’s tone, criticized the rule of Xi Jinping, and stated that the country is about to perish.

China’s Ministry of State Security Responds

In September 2024, the MSS released an article titled Explanation of the ‘taiwan independence’ cyber army ‘Anonymous 64’, accusing the group of launching cyberattacks against mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao. The MSS claimed Anonymous 64 attempted to gain control of portals, electronic screens, and online TVs to disseminate content that slanders the mainland’s political system and major policies.

The MSS further alleged that Anonymous 64 is linked to the Environmental Research and Analysis Center of the Cyber ​​War Fleet under the Taiwan Zitong Telecommunications Army, accusing them of conducting cyber cognitive warfare and public opinion warfare against the mainland. The MSS stated that it had filed a case against three individuals allegedly involved.

taiwan denies Involvement

Both the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of China and the President of the Executive yuan Zhuo Rongtai have refuted China’s claims.The Ministry of National Defense’s ICRC stated that the content of the accusation is not a fact, and asserted that the Communist Army is the initiator of the destruction of regional peace and stability.

Implications and Context

The accusations and counter-accusations highlight the ongoing tensions in cyberspace between China and its perceived adversaries. The claims made by Anonymous 64,if verified,would represent a significant breach of security and a bold statement against the current Chinese leadership. However, the veracity of these claims remains tough to ascertain independently. The MSS’s response,linking the group to taiwanese military intelligence,further escalates the geopolitical implications of these cyber activities.

The situation underscores the increasing importance of cybersecurity and the potential for non-state actors to influence political narratives through cyberattacks and information warfare.As technology evolves, the challenges of attribution and verification will continue to complicate efforts to maintain stability in the digital realm.