Chinese Vendor Imprisoned, National Security Breached: A Tale of Espionage and Data Deception in Railway Networks

Chinese seller imprisoned for sharing train data with overseas entities: National Security Department

Department reports that a Chinese firm was lured by a high-paying contract to collect data, which was later classified as 'intelligence information'

Time: 05

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

An undisclosed Chinese IT firm secured a business deal in late 2020 to gather electronic signal data across China's extensive railway systems. This contract was with an international company that previously conducted market research before venturing into China’s railway sector to offer technical support services.

The ministry reported that the international firm, hindered by Beijing's Covid restrictions from deploying its staff to China, delegated the tasks to local Chinese suppliers. It was also revealed that this company serves a wide array of clients, such as foreign intelligence bodies, military and defense sectors, and various government agencies.

The report indicated that the Chinese firm knew the international company could have hidden agendas, yet, tempted by the promise of a profitable deal, it proceeded to purchase and set up the equipment as dictated by the contract of the overseas entity. It gathered data at designated sites and carried out mobile testing and data collection across various cities and along high-speed railway routes, as required by the international client.

The department reported that the initiative gathered 500 gigabytes of data over the course of a month, encompassing information from Internet of Things transmissions, mobile and railway communications, and secure networks.