China data breach: Hacker claims 10 Petabytes stolen from Tianjin supercomputer
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "China data breach: Hacker claims 10 Petabytes stolen from Tianjin supercomputer")
For representative purpose only Photograph: (Freepik)
Hackers claim to have stolen 10PB of sensitive data from China’s Tianjin supercomputer, raising major cybersecurity and intelligence concerns
A hacker group has reportedly carried out what could be the largest data breach in China’s history, allegedly stealing an enormous cache of highly sensitive information, including classified defense documents and missile schematics, from a state-run supercomputer. The breach is believed to involve over 10 petabytes of data, reportedly extracted from the National Supercomputing Center (NSCC) in Tianjin. The facility serves as a major infrastructure hub supporting more than 6,000 clients, including leading scientific institutions and defense-related organizations across China.
Cybersecurity analysts who examined portions of the leaked data and communicated with the alleged attacker suggest that access to the system may have been gained with surprising ease. According to their findings, data extraction occurred over several months without detection. An account identifying itself as “FlamingChina” published a sample of the purported dataset on Telegram on February 6. The group claimed the data includes “research across various fields including aerospace engineering, military research, bioinformatics, fusion simulation, and more.”
The hackers allege the information is tied to major Chinese entities such as the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, and the National University of Defense Technology. Experts who reviewed the sample say the group is offering limited previews for thousands of dollars, while full access is priced at hundreds of thousands, with payments requested in cryptocurrency. The sample reportedly includes documents labeled “secret” in Chinese, as well as technical files, simulations, and visual renderings of military hardware such as bombs and missiles.
Intelligence implications
The Tianjin facility, established in 2009, was China’s first national supercomputing center and is part of a broader network of similar hubs in cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu. Marc Hofer, a cybersecurity researcher and author of the blog NetAskari, emphasized the potential intelligence value of such a massive dataset. He said, “Only they probably have the capacity to work through all this data and come back with something useful." To illustrate the scale, one petabyte equals 1,000 terabytes, while a typical high-end laptop holds about one terabyte of storage.
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How did the breach allegedly happen?
According to Hofer, the individual claiming responsibility said they infiltrated the system through a compromised VPN domain. Once inside, they allegedly deployed a botnet, an automated network of programs, to systematically extract data from the NSCC. The attacker claimed the operation took approximately six months to complete. These claims cannot be independently verified. Cybersecurity expert Cary explained that the breach may have relied more on system design weaknesses than advanced hacking techniques: “You can think of it as having a bunch of different servers that you have access to and you’re pulling data through this hole in the security of the NSCC, pulling some down to one server, some down to the next.”
Broader concerns
If confirmed, the incident could highlight deeper vulnerabilities within China’s technological infrastructure, especially as the country competes globally in artificial intelligence and advanced computing. Cybersecurity has long been considered a weak point in both China’s public and private sectors. In 2021, a massive database containing personal data of up to one billion Chinese citizens was reportedly left unsecured for over a year before being exposed in 2022.
China has acknowledged these risks. In its 2025 National Security White Paper, the government identified the need to strengthen protections across network, data, and AI systems, stating that it aims to build more resilient cybersecurity frameworks for critical infrastructure.
