EXCLUSIVE: US hacked Pacnet, Asia Pacific fibre-optic network operator, in 2009
According to information provided by Edward Snowden to the Post, computers owned by Pacnet in Hong Kong were attacked by the US National Security Agency in 2009, but the operation has since been shut down
Computers at the Hong Kong headquarters of Pacnet – owner of one of the biggest fibre-optic networks in the region – were hacked by US spies in 2009, adding fuel to the diplomatic fire that has engulfed the Obama administration this month over its cyber-snooping activities worldwide.
Last week, Snowden made the explosive claim that hundreds of computers in Hong Kong and mainland China had been targeted by the NSA over a four-year period.
The information on the attacks on Pacnet are based on a range of details including dates, domain names, internet protocol numbers and other operational details provided by Snowden.
If the legal system in a country allows for tapping into fibre-optic connections, there is little control over it at the other end.
Pacnet, which has global headquarters in Hong Kong and Singapore, owns more than 46,000 kilometres of fibre-optic submarine cables and provides connections to 16 data centres for telecom companies, multinationals and governments across Asia Pacific.