At first, Chinese hackers used to dominate global hacking competitions, often securing first place. But after 2017, their presence suddenly disappeared. No one understood why they stopped participating—until an incident in 2019 exposed a much deeper and more concerning story.
Welcome back to another story.
In March 2017, a group of Chinese hackers traveled to Vancouver, Canada. Their mission was to find hidden vulnerabilities in widely used software and devices. Their targets included Google Chrome, Microsoft Windows, and Apple iPhones.
But they weren’t there to do anything illegal—they were participating in a legal hacking competition called Pwn2Own. This is one of the world’s biggest hacking contests, where participants hack into software to find security flaws. In return, they earn large cash rewards—ranging from $50,000 to over $1 million.
The biggest prizes are awarded for discovering previously unknown flaws, called “zero-day vulnerabilities.”
Hackers report these flaws to companies like Google, Microsoft, or Apple so they can fix them through updates. This is known as ethical hacking, where the goal is to improve security rather than cause harm.
For years, Chinese hackers dominated such competitions. But after 2017, everything changed. They suddenly disappeared from international events. This silence raised concerns, especially in the United States.
Around this time, a statement from Qihoo 360 caught global attention. Its CEO, Zhou Hongyi, criticized Chinese hackers for showcasing their skills abroad. He argued that the vulnerabilities they discovered were worth billions—not just the prize money offered in competitions.
Soon after, the Chinese government officially banned cybersecurity researchers and hackers from participating in overseas competitions. Instead, a new domestic contest called Tianfu Cup was launched. It offered even higher rewards and became an alternative to international events.
The launch of Tianfu Cup raised concerns globally. It suggested that China might be preparing for cyber warfare by keeping hacking talent within the country.
In November 2018, the first Tianfu Cup was held in Chengdu. A researcher from Qihoo 360 named Qihoo 360’s expert discovered a powerful exploit in Apple’s iPhone. Using the Safari browser, he found a vulnerability that allowed remote control of an iPhone simply by getting the user to open a malicious webpage.
This exploit was named “Chaos”—a fitting name, as it would soon create major problems.
Unlike international competitions where vulnerabilities are reported directly to companies, Tianfu Cup required all findings to be reported first to the Chinese government. The government would then decide how and when to share them.
Two months later, in January 2019, Apple released an update quietly fixing the flaw. But the real shock came in August 2019, when Google published a research paper revealing a large-scale hacking campaign targeting iPhones.
Google identified multiple exploit chains—and one of them closely matched the “Chaos” exploit demonstrated at Tianfu Cup. This meant the same vulnerability used to win a competition was potentially being used in real-world surveillance.
Although Google didn’t initially name the attackers, later reports suggested that the targets were Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region. The attackers were allegedly linked to the Chinese government.
Since 2014, China has faced international criticism over human rights issues in Xinjiang, including mass surveillance and detention of Uyghur Muslims. Officials claim these actions are aimed at countering extremism, while countries like the United States have labeled them as severe human rights violations.
The hacking campaign didn’t just target Uyghurs—it also affected journalists, activists, and critics of government policies.
Further investigations by U.S. agencies confirmed that the exploit used in real-world attacks matched the one demonstrated at Tianfu Cup.
The story didn’t end there. In February 2024, a major data leak on GitHub exposed internal data from a Chinese cybersecurity company named i-Soon.
The leaked data revealed emails, chat logs, and details about spyware development. It showed that the company was building cyber-espionage tools and supplying them to Chinese government agencies and the military. Contracts mentioned payments ranging from $10,000 to $75,000 per hacked email inbox.
Today, Tianfu Cup continues to operate, backed by major Chinese tech companies. However, U.S. officials have expressed serious concerns about links between participants and the Chinese military.
Companies like Topsec, which help organize the event, are suspected of recruiting skilled hackers for national purposes.
Recent incidents have further increased tensions. In 2024, the United States Department of the Treasury reported a cyberattack that compromised sensitive documents. U.S. authorities also claimed that Chinese hackers targeted telecom networks, including major providers.
Experts say these groups often remain hidden inside systems for years, waiting for the right moment to act.
All of this points toward a new kind of warfare—cyber war. A battlefield where missiles are replaced by code, where infrastructure can be crippled without a single shot, and where a single click can disrupt economies, spread fear, and bring nations to their knees.
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