How China Is Secretly Preparing for Cyberwar

For years, Chinese hackers dominated the global stage, consistently winning top positions in the world’s most prestigious hacking competitions. But after 2017, they suddenly disappeared. No one knew why — until 2019, when a series of events uncovered a much darker truth about China’s evolving cyber warfare strategy.

The Disappearance from Global Hackathons

In March 2017, a team of elite Chinese hackers traveled to Vancouver, Canada. Their mission? To uncover vulnerabilities in widely used software and devices like Google Chrome, Microsoft Windows, and Apple iPhones. But this wasn’t illegal — they were participating in one of the most well-known ethical hacking events: Pwn2Own.

Pwn2Own is a legal competition where hackers expose software flaws — known as zero-day vulnerabilities — and are rewarded with cash prizes ranging from $50,000 to over $1 million. These vulnerabilities are then reported to the respective tech companies so they can patch the flaws before any real-world exploitation occurs.

For years, Chinese teams were dominant in such events, often outperforming their global peers. But post-2017, they mysteriously stopped participating. Their absence didn’t go unnoticed — especially not by the United States.

A Statement That Raised Eyebrows

In 2018, Zhou Hongyi, CEO of China’s top cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360, made a surprising statement to Chinese media. He criticized Chinese hackers for showcasing their skills internationally, calling their victories “illusionary” and questioning why such valuable vulnerabilities were being shared for a few hundred thousand dollars when they could be worth billions.

Shortly after his statement, the Chinese government imposed a ban preventing cybersecurity researchers from participating in international hackathons. It wasn’t voluntary — it was a strategic directive.

The Birth of the Tianfu Cup

In the wake of this ban, China launched its own domestic hacking competition: The Tianfu Cup. With massive prize money and participation from China’s top tech giants like Tencent, Alibaba, and Qihoo 360, the event was meant to keep world-class hacking talent within the country.

In its first year (2018), the competition made global headlines. A Qihoo 360 researcher, Qi Jun, won the top prize after successfully exploiting Apple’s iPhone via Safari. He uncovered a flaw that allowed him to take remote control of any iPhone just by having the user visit a compromised webpage — without the user ever knowing.

He named the exploit "Chaos" — and that name would soon prove ominously fitting.

From Ethical Discovery to Government Weapon

Unlike international competitions like Pwn2Own, where vulnerabilities are responsibly disclosed to the company, Tianfu Cup exploits were first handed over to the Chinese government — not the affected tech firm. This small difference would soon have massive consequences.

In January 2019, Apple quietly patched the vulnerability exposed by Qi Jun. But then in August 2019, Google dropped a bombshell. In a research paper, they revealed that iPhones around the world had been under a mass-scale hacking campaign — and one of the key exploits matched Qi Jun’s “Chaos” vulnerability exactly.

Further investigations confirmed the attack had targeted Uyghur Muslims in China — a minority community subjected to severe human rights violations by the Chinese government since 2014, including forced sterilizations, detentions, and digital surveillance.

The hack wasn’t just limited to Uyghurs. Journalists, activists, and critics of the Chinese regime were also among the targets.

The Real Purpose Behind Tianfu Cup

Cybersecurity experts realized the Tianfu Cup was more than a hacking contest — it was a strategic tool for China’s cyber war machine. The hackers weren't just showcasing skills — they were building weapons. When the Chinese government received these exploits, they often used them before ever informing the affected companies — if they did at all.

In 2024, a massive data leak from Chinese cybersecurity firm i-Soon confirmed the suspicions. Internal emails, spyware development files, and contracts with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security exposed a chilling truth: the firm was building surveillance tools and selling them to the People’s Liberation Army and government agencies.

They reportedly charged $15,000–$75,000 per hacked email inbox.

Cyber Army and State-Sponsored Hacking

The Tianfu Cup has now entered its eighth year and is sponsored by China's biggest tech firms. U.S. intelligence agencies are alarmed, stating that companies and individuals linked to the competition have direct ties to Chinese military operations.

American officials believe that “TopSec”, a Beijing-based company organizing the event, is using the Tianfu Cup to recruit nationalist hackers for military cyber operations.

China isn’t just preparing for digital defense — they are building a cyber army capable of disrupting global infrastructure. A single exploit could crash stock markets, disable power grids, or leak national secrets — all without a single missile.

Alarming Incidents of Chinese Cyber Attacks (2020–2024)

• 2020: Chinese group APT41 targeted U.S. energy and water systems.
• 2023: Malware attack compromised U.S. military bases in Guam.
• 2024: Chinese hackers infiltrated the U.S. Treasury Department and hacked into networks of at least nine American telecom companies, including Verizon and T-Mobile.

These attacks reveal a disturbing pattern: Chinese hackers gain silent access, remain dormant for years, and strike when it hurts the most.

Conclusion: The War Has Already Begun — And It’s Digital

China’s cyber strategy is no longer a mystery. From banning international competitions to creating its own military-aligned hacking infrastructure, China has redefined modern warfare. And this time, the battleground isn’t land or sea — it’s your phone, your email, and your data.

When governments start funding hacking, it's not about trophies anymore — it’s about control, espionage, and dominance in the digital age.