Chinese hackers are hitting U.S. firms over the South China Sea

Chinese hackers are targeting U.S. engineering and defense companies with links to the disputed South China Sea. Cybersecurity firm FireEye issued a warning about the hacks after it found evidence that the Chinese cyber-espionage group known as TEMP.Periscope appeared to be fishing for data that would help the Chinese government out, reports Bloomberg.

FireEye theorizes that it is the Chinese government conducting the hacks and not a private entity because “a private entity probably wouldn’t benefit from the sort of data that is being stolen.”

The hackers apparently sought data about radar ranges and how well a system could pick up undersea activity. The South China Sea is a highly disputed area of the world with China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei all having claims to parts of it. In recent years China has been beefing up its military presence in the area in an attempt to exert control over it.