By NEIL H. SIMON, Media General News Service
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WASHINGTON-Two congressional critics of human rights abuses in China said Wednesday their government computers were attacked by hackers from inside the Communist country.
"They got everything," said Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-Va., who co-chairs the bipartisan congressional Human Rights Caucus. "Everything on the computer was taken, everything."
Wolf said four computers in his personal House office were hacked in August 2006, starting with one used by an aide specializing in human rights work.
Wolf said House colleagues and government officials had discouraged from speaking out.
"It's time to raise the issue," he said.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who toured Chinese prisons with Wolf and held 25 congressional hearings on abuses in China, said his computers in the House Foreign Affairs Committee office suffered a breach in December 2006 and March 2007.
Wolf introduced a resolution Wednesday calling on members of Congress and their staffs to receive timely cybersecurity training to protect themselves and their documents when working in the office or abroad.
Wolf and Smith's computers contained personal information about Chinese dissidents.
They said other members of Congress have suffered similar breaches, but they did not say who or how many.
"If you're a dissident, watch out," Wolf said.
One Chinese female pro-democracy activist now living in Fairfax County, Va., whose children are imprisoned in China, felt retaliated against when people began driving by and photographing her home, Wolf said.
"She was wise enough to get their license plate. I had the FBI run the license plate and they were Chinese officials," said Wolf.
Department of Justice spokesman Dean Boyd declined to comment.
Bao Bong Wang, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said China "never conducts cyber attacks against any other countries."
Wolf said FBI and House investigations revealed the attack originated from an Internet provider address within China.
"IP addresses can explain nothing," Wang said, adding, "We are against unwarranted irresponsible, allegations against China."
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission has already warned people heading to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing to expect Chinese officials to be spying on their personal phones and computers.
"We need to take this much more seriously," said Michael Wessel, a member of the commission. He said it is believable that China, which has been accused of spying on various federal departments, would seek to spy on certain members of Congress.
"Frank Wolf is a prime target for the Chinese," Wessel said.
"They got everything," said Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-Va., who co-chairs the bipartisan congressional Human Rights Caucus. "Everything on the computer was taken, everything."
Wolf said four computers in his personal House office were hacked in August 2006, starting with one used by an aide specializing in human rights work.
Wolf said House colleagues and government officials had discouraged from speaking out.
"It's time to raise the issue," he said.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who toured Chinese prisons with Wolf and held 25 congressional hearings on abuses in China, said his computers in the House Foreign Affairs Committee office suffered a breach in December 2006 and March 2007.
Wolf introduced a resolution Wednesday calling on members of Congress and their staffs to receive timely cybersecurity training to protect themselves and their documents when working in the office or abroad.
Wolf and Smith's computers contained personal information about Chinese dissidents.
They said other members of Congress have suffered similar breaches, but they did not say who or how many.
"If you're a dissident, watch out," Wolf said.
One Chinese female pro-democracy activist now living in Fairfax County, Va., whose children are imprisoned in China, felt retaliated against when people began driving by and photographing her home, Wolf said.
"She was wise enough to get their license plate. I had the FBI run the license plate and they were Chinese officials," said Wolf.
Department of Justice spokesman Dean Boyd declined to comment.
Bao Bong Wang, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said China "never conducts cyber attacks against any other countries."
Wolf said FBI and House investigations revealed the attack originated from an Internet provider address within China.
"IP addresses can explain nothing," Wang said, adding, "We are against unwarranted irresponsible, allegations against China."
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission has already warned people heading to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing to expect Chinese officials to be spying on their personal phones and computers.
"We need to take this much more seriously," said Michael Wessel, a member of the commission. He said it is believable that China, which has been accused of spying on various federal departments, would seek to spy on certain members of Congress.
"Frank Wolf is a prime target for the Chinese," Wessel said.