China Is Tied to Spying on European Diplomats

Computer breaches at the foreign ministries of the Czech Republic, Portugal, Bulgaria, Latvia and Hungary have been traced to Chinese hackers. The attacks, which began in 2010, are continuing, according to a report by FireEye, a computer security company. Though researchers do not name the hackers’ targets in the report, The New York Times identified the foreign ministries through email addresses listed on the attackers’ web page. A person with knowledge of the investigation, who was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed that the foreign ministries of the five countries had been breached. Even as revelations by Edward J. Snowden about surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency and its intelligence partners dominate attention, the FireEye report is a reminder that Chinese hackers continue to break into the computer systems of governments and firms using simple, email-based attacks.