Photo: China Central Television

China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) warned on Sunday that the country's vast express delivery data could become a prime target of foreign intelligence agencies, following the discovery of a malware attack aimed at stealing dada from a domestic courier firm.

In one case disclosed by the MSS, an individual broke into a courier station late at night, dodged surveillance cameras and accessed an office, where he attempted to insert a USB drive preloaded with a Trojan virus into a computer.

A vigilant employee detected the intrusion and alerted authorities through the national security hotline. Following the tip, state security agencies and partnered departments exposed a data-theft plot against a domestic express company and blocked the possible leak route, according to the MSS.

The case underscores the growing national security implications of logistics information, as China's rapidly expanding delivery industry generates vast amounts of information on the movement of both people and goods.

The MSS described logistics and delivery data as a "barometer" of national economic activity, noting that the very same highly developed logistics network that enables one-click ordering and delivery has also turned such information into a potentially valuable source of intelligence asset.

According to the ministry, individual delivery records may contain information including delivery routes, types of goods being shipped and personal details contained on waybills. When aggregated and analyzed, such information could be used to infer a person's consumption habits and daily routines, potentially facilitating fraud, extortion and other criminal activities.

The risks could be greater when the data involves sensitive locations, the MSS said. Delivery records around military-industrial enterprises, research institutes and other sensitive facilities could reveal patterns in the work and daily lives of personnel with access to classified information. Such information could in turn provide foreign intelligence agencies with clues for identifying potential recruitment targets and building intelligence networks, posing a direct threat to national security.

Beyond individuals and specific facilities, the MSS warned that large-scale logistics datasets could offer a window into broader economic and social activities.

By analyzing the volume, categories and flows of parcels sent and received across different regions, intelligence actors could potentially estimate population distribution and movements as well as the geographical layout of industries, allowing them to draw conclusions about China's economic and social operations, the ministry said.

The warning comes as Chinese authorities have stepped up regulation of personal information and data generated by the booming delivery sector.

A series of regulations and rules, including the Interim Regulations on Express Delivery, provisions on the security management of personal information of express delivery users and measures for the administration of the express delivery market, have established requirements ranging from minimizing the collection of waybill information to encrypting and de-identifying electronic waybills and holding entities accountable for unlawful data leaks.

The MSS said protecting delivery information requires not only regulatory oversight but also responsibility from courier companies and greater awareness among individual users.

Courier firms should establish sound systems for protecting users' personal information, limit employees' access to such data according to operational needs and provide regular security training, according to the ministry. Companies should sign confidentiality agreements with their employees to clarify their obligations regarding customer information.

The ministry also advised consumers to remove or obscure personal information on shipping labels after receiving parcels and, where appropriate, use parcel lockers or community collection points instead of providing private residential information.

The MSS called on members of the public who encounter suspicious activities that could endanger national security to report them to state security authorities through the 12339 hotline or other official reporting channels.

Global Times