A recent hacking competition with ties to China’s military has raised concerns about potential espionage. The Zhujian Cup, also known as the National Collegiate Cybersecurity Attack and Defense Competition, had several unusual characteristics that set it apart from other hacking contests.
According to two Western researchers who translated the competition’s documentation, the contest had several unusual requirements. Participants were prohibited from discussing the nature of the tasks they were asked to do, and they were also required to delete any backdoors they planted on the system and any data they acquired from it. Additionally, participants were prohibited from publishing social media posts revealing the nature of the competition or the tasks they performed.
Key Restrictions on Participants
The competition was hosted by Northwestern Polytechnical University, a science and engineering university in Xi’an, Shaanxi, that is affiliated with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and also holds a top-secret clearance to conduct work for the Chinese government and military. The university is overseen by China’s People’s Liberation Army.