Bad Actors In the Global Trading System

China appears to be shaping up as a bad actor when it comes to New Zealand's cyber-security.  While the cyber world is murky for the layman, it seems that officials and knowledgeable folk are more than concerned with China's "foul play".

The NZ spy-agency, GCSB finds links between China and campaign of cyber theft in New Zealand, according to an article in Newshub.  Now the heat is going on the NZ Government to front up over the threat. 

Earlier on Friday, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) said it had found a link between a long running cyber campaign and the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).  The campaign has targeted the intellectual property and commercial data of numerous managed service providers, including some that operate in New Zealand, GCSB director-general Andrew Hampton said.

Managed service providers offer a range of technology services such as internet access and email services."This activity is counter to the commitment all APEC economies, including China, made in November 2016," Mr Hampton said in a statement."APEC economies agreed they should not conduct or support ICT-enabled theft of intellectual property or other confidential business information, for commercial advantage."

Dr Paul Buchanan, a defence policy analyst, says that New Zealand needs to stop pussy footing around.  He argues that China has signed up to a rules based system, as has New Zealand and the rest of the national signatories.  But China's left-hand is very different from its right-hand.  This makes its presentation to  the Pacific in general, and to  New Zealand in particular that of a "bad-actor". 

Earlier on Friday, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) said it had found a link between a long running cyber campaign and the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).  The campaign has targeted the intellectual property and commercial data of numerous managed service providers, including some that operate in New Zealand, GCSB director-general Andrew Hampton said.

Managed service providers offer a range of technology services such as internet access and email services.  "This activity is counter to the commitment all APEC economies, including China, made in November 2016," Mr Hampton said in a statement.  "APEC economies agreed they should not conduct or support ICT-enabled theft of intellectual property or other confidential business information, for commercial advantage."

Dr Buchanan says it is a "wake up call" and we need to take action.  "The bottom line is New Zealand continues to be seen as the weak link, or the Achilles heel of the Western-centric signals intelligence networks," he says.

If China is going to persist in such a "bad actor" capacity, New Zealand needs to scale back its commercial involvement and trade with China, until such times as that country can prove its good citizenship.  That might be a long time coming.