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Masha Borak

China is redoubling efforts to protect the nation’s computer networks from hacking, spying and other cyberthreats by directing organisations to quickly report system vulnerabilities to authorities.
Companies providing online products and services must report the discovery of any weaknesses in their systems within two days to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), according to a notice on Tuesday by the country’s cyberspace watchdog.
This regulation, which sets out how to handle cybersecurity loopholes, was developed by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the MIIT and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). It will take effect on September 1.
It provides detailed guidelines for enforcing China’s Cybersecurity Law. Implemented in June 2017, the law vaguely stipulates how providers of internet products and services should report system vulnerabilities to their users and “related regulators”.

The government’s new mandate “is directed at regulating the process of vulnerability reporting in China, and inserting the MIIT and MPS as the responsible authorities into this process”, said Kenn Yee, policy analyst at Access Partnership.
He described the latest regulation as “a way of formalising and giving clarity to the implementation process”.
It also forbids enterprises and individuals investigating cybersecurity vulnerabilities from providing such information to overseas organisations and individuals other than the provider of the product or service, according to the CAC’s notice.
These enterprises are expected to cooperate with authorities if system flaws are publicised before these are fixed.
The new regulation prohibits individuals and organisations from taking advantage of any system loopholes and weaknesses that may endanger online security in the country. It also bans illegal collection, sale or publication of information about such vulnerabilities.
Beijing wants cybersecurity reviews on foreign IPOs by tech firms
The latest mandate gives the existing Cybersecurity Law teeth amid increased efforts by cybercriminals to exploit system vulnerabilities to install malware, steal data and disrupt operations of various businesses.
Recent months saw a number of high-profile cyberattacks on US tech companies Kaseya and SolarWinds, oil pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline and cybersecurity firm FireEye.
Attempts to hack into government systems have also hit headlines, with accusations against Chinese, Russian and Iranian operatives, as well as known hacking communities.
Beijing has also been focusing on other fronts to boost network security, including boosting data privacy and tightening its control over Big Tech companies.
Rising tensions in tech and trade with the US have also made Chinese regulators more cautious about the security of the country’s vast troves of data.
China drafts plan to grow its cybersecurity industry as threats grow
The MIIT on Monday released the draft of its most detailed strategy yet for the development of China’s cybersecurity industry in a bid to make the country’s digital economy more resilient. The three-year plan will boost spending on the cybersecurity sector, which is forecast to be worth more than 250 billion yuan (US$38.6 billion) by 2023. Major industries such as telecommunications will need to devote 10 per cent of their tech upgrade budget to cybersecurity within the next three years.
Cybersecurity is also becoming synonymous with national security and state sovereignty, as both China and the US pour more effort into the field, according to analysts.
Regulators have grown increasingly worried over cross-border data flows with the new Data Security Law, that comes to effect in September, bringing more stringent regulations on how tech platforms may handle data.
Ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing was the target of a cybersecurity review only two days after its public listing in New York in June, with its app taken down from China’s app stores. Three more online services have also been put under review by the CAC.


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A new regulation seeks to protect computer networks and other information technology infrastructure in the country from cyberthreats
It also forbids enterprises and individuals investigating cybersecurity weaknesses to disclose such information to overseas organisations



The new regulation seeks to protect computer networks and other information technology infrastructure in the country from hacking, spying and other cyberthreats.


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Internet

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