China admits existence of a cyber-warfare team called “Blue Army”

China has admitted for the first time that it had poured tens of millions into the formation of a 30-strong commando unit of cyberwarriors called The Blue Army. The team is reportedly trained to improve the security of the country’s military forces and to protect the People’s Liberation Army from outside assault on its networks.

The Blue Army, believed to have already been in existence for two years, is currently under the Guangdong Military Command. Although supposedly established for defensive purposes, most governments across the globe fear that revelation is likely to confirm suspicions that cyber attacks on their systems do indeed originate from China.

Xu Guangyu, a senior researcher of the government-backed China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said:

“The internet has no boundaries, so we can’t say which country or organisation will be our enemy and who will attack us. The Blue Army’s main target is self-defence. We won’t initiate an attack on anyone.”

The PLA daily reports that the cyber-warfare team emerged victorious in a simulated cyberbattle to defend China’s military networks against a series of virus attacks, junk mail barrages and stealth cyber intrusions from an attacking force four times its size.

I wonder how many other countries are this prepared.