U.S. research universities face millions of cyberattacks every week from hackers often based in China, the New York Times reports. The universities are presumably targets because their research can yield valuable new products ranging from prescription drugs and fuel cells to software and computer chips.
(See also: Chinese Army Cyberunit Apparently Attacking U.S. Targets Again)
University officials admitted some of the attacks have compromised their systems, but wouldn’t provide details outside of cases involving the theft of social-security numbers and personal data. The cyberassaults have prompted universities such as the University of California at Berkeley to boost their IT security investments by more than a million dollars a year.
