“China’s digital muscle power is a decade late…

In the report, the International Institute for Strategic Studies ranks countries according to their cyber capabilities. This British think tank relies, among other things, on the strength of its digital economies, the strength of intelligence and security services, and the extent to which cyber applications are integrated into military operations.

China and Russia have already demonstrated in the past that they are adept at offensive cyber operations, such as online espionage, intellectual property theft, and disinformation campaigns primarily targeting the United States. However, the International Institute for Strategic Studies concludes, they themselves face obstacles due to relatively weak cybersecurity.

For China, the limited focus on monitoring its networks may be due to Beijing’s massive efforts to censor the domestic Internet to ward off disruptive political information, the report said. In addition, the British think tank says that the analysis of digital intelligence among the Chinese is less advanced than the analysis of the so-called “Five Eyes”, the intelligence alliance of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

As a result, the British think tank ranks only the United States at the highest level of electronic capabilities. In the second line are Australia, Canada, China, France, Israel, Russia and the United Kingdom. The third group consists of India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea and Vietnam.

The Americans are the best at digital applications, encryption, and the ability to carry out “sophisticated and surgical” cyber attacks, according to the IISS. In addition, they are reaping the benefits of alliances with other cyber powers, such as the “Five Eyes” countries. According to the British think tank, China will need at least a decade to match the cyber capabilities of the United States.