Photo: WeChat account affiliated with the National Administration of State Secrets Protection

China's national secrecy authority warned on Tuesday that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) and drones are creating new risks of information leaks, citing a case in which an individual illegally used a high-definition camera drone to obtain large numbers of aerial images of an aircraft carrier, which could have exposed sensitive national defense information.

The WeChat account affiliated with the National Administration of State Secrets Protection said in an article that in recent years, some military enthusiasts have illegally flown drones without authorization, taking photos of military airports, fighter jets, warships and other military facilities, seriously endangering national defense security.

At the end of 2021, a person surnamed Luo illegally used a high-definition camera drone to take aerial photos and obtained a large number of high-definition images of an aircraft carrier. These photos could easily be used to infer state secrets such as the progress of the carrier's construction, parameters of sensitive equipment, and the level of core technologies, directly threatening national defense security and damaging the country's core interests, according to the article.

The article also reminds that some medical institutions have begun using AI models to assess patients' health risks and even to predict life expectancy. The aim is to identify high-risk patients at an early stage so that timely intervention can be taken. However, such AI applications may raise concerns over privacy, ethics and data security. If patients' health data is leaked, it could be misused, putting their privacy and security at risk.

On the IoT, the article noted that in 2016, overseas hackers used botnet malware to infect large numbers of IoT devices and launch cyberattacks, creating massive botnets that disrupted access to websites including Twitter, PayPal and GitHub across North America. In 2021, hackers also targeted cameras operated by the US cybersecurity monitoring service provider Verkada, gaining access to surveillance footage from hospitals, schools and prisons.

In response to emerging cybersecurity risks, it is essential to adopt scenario-based approaches, focus on key vulnerabilities, strengthen source-level management, and refine prevention and control measures. These efforts are needed to guard against potential leaks and uphold the bottom line of security, said the article.

Global Times