China is stepping up use of open source information collection and analysis technologies for military intelligence purposes, according to an analysis by Insikt Group, the research division of U.S.-based cybersecurity company Recorded Future.
More and more private companies, state-owned enterprises, state-run research organizations, and universities are supporting the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) push to leverage open-source
intelligence (OSINT) by providing research services, platforms and data, the report indicated. PLA is the main military force of the People’s Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party.
Insikt Group has discovered that China’s military and defense industries are using automated web crawlers, algorithms, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other tools to extract intelligence from foreign governments, militaries, social media platforms, news media organizations, companies, research organizations, and individuals. The division also points out that the PLA’s use of OSINT “very likely provides it an intelligence advantage, as the West’s open information environment allows the PLA to easily harvest large quantities of open-source data, whereas Western militaries must contend with China’s closed information environment”.
Some of the findings indicate that the PLA “almost certainly views OSINT as an increasingly valuable source of military intelligence that can support decision-making” and uses OSINT to gain insight into foreign military capabilities, facilities, doctrine, decision making, weapons, equipment, science and technology, exercises, training, intelligence, and deployments, “which very likely helps the PLA prepare for future conflicts”. The report also highlights that the PLA “very likely tries to learn from other countries’ OSINT programs while also seeking to prevent foreign countries from collecting military OSINT from Chinese sources, which very likely helps preserve the PLA’s advantage over the West in OSINT”.
Private Chinese OSINT providers
These five companies do not constitute the entirety of China’s military OSINT ecosystem, which also includes state-owned enterprises, state-run research institutes, and universities, but they do offer examples of the growing role of private companies in this space, according to the report.
DataExa, aka Xiamen Yuanting Information Science and Technology Co., Ltd – founded in 2013, it is an OSINT platform provider for the PLA.
Knowfar, aka Beijing Nuofang Zhiyuan Information Science and Technology Co., Ltd. – established in 2009, it is an OSINT database provider for the PLA
Lanhai Changqing, previously known as Beijing Lanhai Changqing Think Tank Science and Technology Consulting Co., Ltd, was created in 2017 and is a privately owned PLA contractor that provides OSINT research services
Techxcope, aka Beijing Yuanwang Think Tank Science and Technology Consulting Co., Ltd. – PLA OSINT research services provider which brands itself as a think tank and has a relatively prominent media presence
Kantian, or Beijing Kantian Science and Technology Co., Ltd. – is a privately-owned remote sensing company that serves the PLA
Protection measures
Based on its findings, the Insikt Group emphasises that governments, militaries, research organizations, companies, news media organizations, social media platforms, and individuals should be aware that China’s military and defense industry are using new technologies to collect, process, and analyze massive amounts of their publicly-available data for intelligence purposes, and should consider taking steps to mitigate these intelligence collection efforts. Further on, commercial data providers should also be aware that China’s military and defense industry could be purchasing their data for intelligence purposes, and should consider carrying out due diligence when selling their data to entities in China.
You can read this very insightful report here, and you can find similar reports here.
This report uses a data set created by Insikt Group, which includes PLA and Chinese defense industry procurement records. The data set, which can be viewed in the online copy of the report, consists of 50 projects and was collected from January 2019 to January 2023 using various tools, including the Recorded Future Intelligence Cloud.
Insikt Group is Recorded Future’s threat research division, comprising analysts and security researchers with deep government, law enforcement, military, and intelligence agency experience.
Recorded Future is a privately held cybersecurity company founded in 2009, with headquarters in Somerville, Massachusetts. The company specializes in the collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination of threat intelligence, according to its website.
Image source: OSINT News collage (pixabay.com)
