For years, Chinese state hackers were able to rummage through Volkswagen’s internal IT system

For years, Chinese hackers rummaged freely in Volkswagen’s internal IT system and gained access to valuable knowledge, a joint investigative project by ZDF and Spiegel revealed. Although there is no direct evidence for this, it is conceivable that this gave Chinese automotive companies a serious competitive advantage.

Staff at the two newspapers obtained 40 internal documents and spoke with dozens of sources familiar with the matter. According to this, Chinese hackers, most likely directly connected to Beijing management, have continuously tried to get into Volkswagen’s internal IT system since 2010.

The attacks took place in several waves, and between 2011 and 2014, valuable data was certainly accessed several times. During this time, a total of 19,000 documents were stolen, which Microsoft once called the world’s largest cyber attack in an internal letter. Volkswagen knew about the attacks, and between 2014 and 2015 they managed to strengthen their systems in such a way that hackers could no longer get into them.

According to the documents, the hackers did not steal the data randomly, but by following certain targets, they were particularly interested in:

• the development of gasoline engines;
• gearbox development;
• including the development of double-clutch transmissions.

They also gained access to documents related to electromobility and alternative propulsion systems.

ZDF emphasizes that they have not found direct evidence that the attacks were carried out on behalf of the Chinese state, but there are many signs that this is the case. According to an expert, the traces of the hackers led to Beijing, including to the Chinese military intelligence.

The question is also important because China and Germany are in serious competition in car production. China is an important export market for Volkswagen, where they were the market leader until a few years ago, but now they have slipped back to second place. It is therefore conceivable that the Chinese companies gained access to Volkswagen’s developments, which they were later able to use in their own vehicles.

According to the Chinese embassy in Berlin, China condemns all forms of cyber-espionage and it is not true that the Chinese state has anything to do with the attacks.