From the World of “Hacker X Files” to the Whitewashed Business Sphere

Jiang Jintao’s journey from hacker to infosec entrepreneur illustrates the blend of ambition, skill, and changes in China's cybersecurity industry

Previously, the Natto Team briefly explored the history of renowned Chinese hacker Zhou Shuai, who has been sanctioned and indicted by the US government for alleged APT27-linked malicious cyber activity since 2011. We find that stories of Chinese hackers are often fascinating, as they not only help us to understand the motivations and intents of those behind the keyboard but also reveal how China’s information security industry has evolved and how this evolution connects with Chinese cyber operations. Recently, the Natto Team came across a Chinese hacker story published in 2016 by PingWest, a Chinese media and marketing company founded in Silicon Valley in 2012 and headquartered in Beijing, which claims to “connect resources between China and the Silicon Valley.” Although this article is nine years old – and we know the technology world in China changes constantly – the Natto Team believes it remains relevant for understanding the connections between the world of Chinese hackers, the …