Congress urged to investigate Chinese cyber snooping threat

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) has recommended Congress investigate China's potential use of cyber snooping practices on US systems.

USCC officials published their recommendation within the pages of the group's annual report on US-China relations. The 500-page document covers recent security and economic issues facing both China and the US.

"We have recommended that relevant Congressional committee's further review Chinese cyber espionage practices and report their findings in an unclassified format," the USCC wrote.

"In addition, we have recommended that Congress review acquisition and procurement guidelines to ensure that the US Department of Defense has the necessary tools to mitigate cyber-related supply chain threats."

In its report, the USCC covers China's continuing efforts to expand its cyber spying capabilities. The report specifically points to Chinese cyber attacks on US government, commercial, and other non-governmental organisations.

The USCC's findings come following recent reports of Chinese cyber attacks on US organisations. In October, it was reported that Chinese hackers had attempted to perform a spear phishing attack on computers within the White House.

Earlier this year, US and Chinese defence ministers also attempted to temper fears of a potential cyber war between the two countries. In May, US defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Chinese General Liang Guanglie met in Washington to talk about their efforts to quell the threat of cyber attacks.