Chinese cyber spying on American companies has decreased since a September agreement between presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping, according to government and private sector experts. Officials are, however, undecided about the significance of the shift.
“What we are seeing can only be characterised as a material downtick in what can be considered cyber espionage,” said Justin Harvey, chief security officer at Fidelis Cybersecurity. “We are seeing a marked difference.”
US officials have been cautious in their public assessments of China’s behaviour since the two governments agreed to refrain from conducting cyber espionage for commercial purposes last year.