Chinese Vendor Imprisoned for Leaking Railway Data in Espionage Case Linked to Foreign Firms

Chinese Seller Imprisoned for Sharing Train Data with Foreign Nationals: National Security Agency

The agency reports that a Chinese firm was lured by a profitable agreement to collect data, which was later classified as 'intelligence information'

Time: 05

China carried out the execution of a scientist in 2016 for espionage, as highlighted in a documentary that unveiled 10 startling cases.

An undisclosed Chinese IT firm secured a business agreement in late 2020 to gather electronic signal data across China's extensive railway systems. This contract was with an international company, which previously specialized in market research before branching into the Chinese railway sector to offer technical support services.

The ministry reported that the international firm, hindered by Beijing's Covid protocols from dispatching its staff to China, delegated the tasks to local Chinese contractors. It was also discovered that this company served a diverse clientele, encompassing foreign intelligence bodies, defense and military entities, as well as governmental agencies.

The text indicates that the Chinese firm knew the international company could have hidden agendas, yet, drawn by a profitable deal, it proceeded to purchase and set up the equipment as dictated by the foreign company's contract. It gathered data at specific sites and carried out mobile testing and data collection across various cities and along high-speed railway tracks as required by the overseas client.

The department reported that within a span of one month, the initiative amassed 500 gigabytes of data, encompassing information from Internet of Things signals, mobile and railroad communications, and secure networks.