China is dropping Windows from its military devices
Chinese military will develop a custom OS for improved security
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As tensions between the US and China grow due to an escalatingtrade war, the Chinese military has decided to stop usingMicrosoftWindows in favor of its own customoperating system.
The decision was revealed in a recent issue of the Canadian military magazineKanwa Asian Defencewhich reported that Chinese military officials will not be using Linux as their new OS but will develop their own custom operating system for improved security.
As a result of Edward Snowden and other big leaks, the Chinese government knows full well what the US is capable of when it comes to hacking devices running Windows, Mac and Linux.
This is why China’s government plans to adopt a “security by obscurity” approach by using its own custom OS which will make it more difficult for the US and other foreign threat actors to spy on Chinese military operations.
Security by obscurity
According to theEpoch Times, a newly formed “Internet Security Information Leadership Group” will be tasked with developing the new OS and rolling it out to devices that had previously run Windows.
The new group will answer directly to the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) so that it is separate from the rest of China’s military. The United States Cyber Command operates in a similar way as a separate entity in the US Department of Defense.
The Internet Security Information Leadership Group also believes that the German-developed programmable logic controller (PLC) used in 70 percent of China’s industrial control systems today poses a huge risk to the country’s national security.
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For this reason, Chinese authorities have laid out plans to upgrade the country’s network to become more advanced in cyber technology.
ViaEpoch Times
After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.
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