China-Based Hacking of 760 Companies Shows Cyber Cold War

From http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...ies-reflects-undeclared-global-cyber-war.html:

 

That's quite a few bucks.

 

Yes, that is quite a haul they made.

 

Economic espionage has been common even long before the X-mass man was born but the current scale is something new. (And the article only mentions a declassified estimate, there is likely also a still classified estimate).
I wonder how long it will take before this backfires for China.
Probably when the economical backlash, due to the hacking-enabled 'transfer of wealth', becomes too great, sanctions and boycotts against certain Chinese economic sectors will be the starting point.
Problematic might be that it's being done not just because the Beijing communist politburo orders these hacking schemes/organizations but because it's by and large organized by the Chinese military who actually own large parts of different economical sectors.
The current military leaders don't mind offending even their own political 'leaders', remember the embarrassed reaction by Chinese president Hu Jintao when the first Chinese stealth fighter was showed during the visit of US defence secretary Gates.
It's a vast 'state' hacking scheme out of almost anyone's control, that's making it so nasty.
All imao of a layman of course.