Shadow of the Dragon - 2014 U.S.-China Cyber Warfare and the Impact of Unit 61398

Shadow of the Dragon - 2014 U.S.-China Cyber Warfare and the Impact of Unit 61398

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted five officers in Unit 61398, a cyber unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. They allegedly stole critical design data from U.S. military companies, including F-35 fighter jets and V-22 Osprey aircraft. The Shanghai-based unit was the first public confirmation of state-sponsored hacking after an investigation by Mandiant revealed its activities. As the post-Cold War international order changed and China's rise became more prominent, cyberspace became an "invisible battlefield. Furthermore, in 2018, it was reported that over 600 GB of supersonic anti-ship missile information known as the "Sea Dragon Project" was stolen. This prompted the U.S. to establish the Office of Cyber Strategy and declared China to be the biggest threat. This incident, which symbolizes the dawn of cyber warfare between nations, is positioned as a historical turning point that fundamentally changed security in the information age.