July 1, 2008: A recent analysis of web sites pushing malware (software that helps hackers steal data) revealed that half of them are connected with just ten ISPs (Internet Service Providers), and six of those ISPs are in China. This came as no surprise, as China has become the favorite hideout for Internet criminals.

There's just one catch. The Chinese Internet is highly policed by a special force of 30,000 secret police technicians. On the Chinese Internet, you don't do something the government does not want, at least not for long. So how do these criminals manage to survive on such a heavily policed portion of the Internet? It's no secret that a lot of Internet mischief comes out of China, with the tacit approval of the Chinese government. This includes vandalizing web sites of organizations that push democracy in China, or protest the restrictions on the Chinese Internet, or say anything the Chinese officials do not like. Whenever another country gets into a squabble with China, there's lots of hacking against that nations websites, particularly government. Most of the hackers can be traced back to China. The same pattern has been seen with numerous hacker attacks on government networks in Europe, India and North America. Apparently, if hackers are willing to "serve the state," they can find a safe haven in China.