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How China’s Patriotic ‘Honkers’ Became the Nation’s Elite Cyberspies

How China’s Patriotic ‘Honkers’ Became the Nation’s Elite Cyberspies

Topsec and Venustech were two firms alleged to have assisted these efforts. Topsec employed a number of former Honkers, including the founder of the Honker Union of China, and Topsec’s founder once acknowledged in an interview that the PLA directed his company. In 2015, Topsec was linked to state-sponsored cyber operations, including the Anthem Insurance breach in the US.

Over the years, many tools used by China APT groups were built by Honkers, and the PLA and MSS mined them for vulnerability research and exploit development. In 1999, Huang Xin (glacier), a member of Green Army, released “Glacier,” a remote-access trojan. The next year, he and Yang Yong (coolc) from XFocus released X-Scan, a tool to scan networks for vulnerabilities that is still used by hackers in China today. In 2003, two members of Honker Union released HTRAN, a tool to hide an attacker’s location by rerouting their traffic through proxy computers, which has been used by China’s APTs. Tan and fellow NCPH member Zhou Jibing (whg) are believed to have created the PlugX backdoor in 2008, which has been used by more than 10 Chinese APTs. According to Benincasa, Zhou developed it even further to produce ShadowPad, which has been used by APT 41 and others.

Over the years, leaks and US indictments against former Honkers have exposed their alleged post-Honker spy careers, as well as China’s use of for-profit firms for state hacking operations. The latter include i-Soon and Integrity Tech, both launched by former Honkers.

Wu Haibo (shutdown), formerly of Green Army and 0x557, launched i-Soon in 2010. And last year, someone leaked internal i-Soon files and chat logs, exposing the company’s espionage work on behalf of the MSS and MPS. In March this year, eight i-Soon employees and two MPS officers were indicted by the US for hacking operations that targeted US government agencies, Asian foreign ministries, dissidents, and media outlets.

Integrity Tech, founded in 2010 by former Green Army member Cai Jingjing (cbird), was sanctioned by the US this year over ties to global infrastructure hacks.

This year, the US also indicted former Green Army members Zhou and Wu for conducting state hacking operations and sanctioned Zhou over links to APT 27. In addition to engaging in state-sponsored hacking, he allegedly also ran a data-leak service selling some of the stolen data to customers, including intelligence agencies.

This isn’t unlike early-generation US hackers who also transitioned to become cybersecurity company founders and also got recruited by the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency or hired by contractors to perform hacking operations for US operations. But unlike the US, China’s whole-of-society intelligence authorities have compelled some Chinese citizens and companies to collaborate with the state in conducting espionage, Kozy notes.

“I think that China from the beginning just thought, ‘We can co-opt [the Honkers] for state interests.’” Kozy says. “And … because a lot of these young guys had patriotic leanings to begin with, they were kind of pressed into service by saying, ‘Hey you’re going to be doing a lot of really good things for the country.’ Also, many of them started to realize they could get rich doing it.”

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#Chinas #Patriotic #Honkers #Nations #Elite #Cyberspies

Microsoft is purchasing 650,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from startup BioCirc, the company said today. 

As carbon removal deals go, it’s not a big buy. But this one is notable because last month, two reports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals.

For the carbon removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive.

Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times we may adjust the pace or volume of our carbon removal procurement as we continue to refine our approach toward sustainability goals.”

The new deal generates carbon removal credits from five BioCirc biogas projects. The biogas plants take biomass waste — frequently from agriculture — and use industrial bioreactors to turn it into methane and carbon dioxide. BioCirc captures the carbon dioxide and stores it in an underground reservoir offshore. The methane is then burned in a power plant. 

Microsoft’s sustainability goals have been strained by the company’s push into AI. To power its data centers in Texas, Microsoft last month said it was working with Chevron and Engine No. 1 to build a natural gas power plant in the state that could eventually generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Emissions from that project alone promise to dwarf the deal with BioCirc.

Internally, Microsoft employees have also been debating whether to abandon the company’s goal of matching zero emissions electricity with its energy use on an hourly basis. Today, the company matches on an annual basis. That approach gives the company more flexibility to, say, use more natural gas to power its data centers at night, but it also makes the company’s clean energy claims harder to verify.

If Microsoft continues to pursue fossil fuel power plants, it’ll need to ramp up its carbon removal purchases to meet its 2030 target of becoming a carbon negative company (one that removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it generates). 

Last year, Microsoft signed several deals worth millions of tons of carbon removal credits. The program’s reported pause set off alarm bells throughout the carbon removal industry, which is still in its infancy.

The new deal suggests that Microsoft is, in fact, recalibrating its carbon removal program — not abandoning it. Whether that remains true as AI drives its energy consumption higher is something the industry will be watching.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Microsofts #carbon #removal #plans #arent #dead #TechCrunchMicrosoft,biogas,Exclusive,carbon credits,carbon removal">Microsoft’s carbon removal plans aren’t dead after all | TechCrunch
Microsoft is purchasing 650,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from startup BioCirc, the company said today. 

As carbon removal deals go, it’s not a big buy. But this one is notable because last month, two reports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals.







For the carbon removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive.

Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times we may adjust the pace or volume of our carbon removal procurement as we continue to refine our approach toward sustainability goals.”

The new deal generates carbon removal credits from five BioCirc biogas projects. The biogas plants take biomass waste — frequently from agriculture — and use industrial bioreactors to turn it into methane and carbon dioxide. BioCirc captures the carbon dioxide and stores it in an underground reservoir offshore. The methane is then burned in a power plant. 

Microsoft’s sustainability goals have been strained by the company’s push into AI. To power its data centers in Texas, Microsoft last month said it was working with Chevron and Engine No. 1 to build a natural gas power plant in the state that could eventually generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Emissions from that project alone promise to dwarf the deal with BioCirc.

Internally, Microsoft employees have also been debating whether to abandon the company’s goal of matching zero emissions electricity with its energy use on an hourly basis. Today, the company matches on an annual basis. That approach gives the company more flexibility to, say, use more natural gas to power its data centers at night, but it also makes the company’s clean energy claims harder to verify.


If Microsoft continues to pursue fossil fuel power plants, it’ll need to ramp up its carbon removal purchases to meet its 2030 target of becoming a carbon negative company (one that removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it generates). 

Last year, Microsoft signed several deals worth millions of tons of carbon removal credits. The program’s reported pause set off alarm bells throughout the carbon removal industry, which is still in its infancy.

The new deal suggests that Microsoft is, in fact, recalibrating its carbon removal program — not abandoning it. Whether that remains true as AI drives its energy consumption higher is something the industry will be watching.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Microsofts #carbon #removal #plans #arent #dead #TechCrunchMicrosoft,biogas,Exclusive,carbon credits,carbon removal

two reports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals.

For the carbon removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive.

Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times we may adjust the pace or volume of our carbon removal procurement as we continue to refine our approach toward sustainability goals.”

The new deal generates carbon removal credits from five BioCirc biogas projects. The biogas plants take biomass waste — frequently from agriculture — and use industrial bioreactors to turn it into methane and carbon dioxide. BioCirc captures the carbon dioxide and stores it in an underground reservoir offshore. The methane is then burned in a power plant. 

Microsoft’s sustainability goals have been strained by the company’s push into AI. To power its data centers in Texas, Microsoft last month said it was working with Chevron and Engine No. 1 to build a natural gas power plant in the state that could eventually generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Emissions from that project alone promise to dwarf the deal with BioCirc.

Internally, Microsoft employees have also been debating whether to abandon the company’s goal of matching zero emissions electricity with its energy use on an hourly basis. Today, the company matches on an annual basis. That approach gives the company more flexibility to, say, use more natural gas to power its data centers at night, but it also makes the company’s clean energy claims harder to verify.

If Microsoft continues to pursue fossil fuel power plants, it’ll need to ramp up its carbon removal purchases to meet its 2030 target of becoming a carbon negative company (one that removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it generates). 

Last year, Microsoft signed several deals worth millions of tons of carbon removal credits. The program’s reported pause set off alarm bells throughout the carbon removal industry, which is still in its infancy.

The new deal suggests that Microsoft is, in fact, recalibrating its carbon removal program — not abandoning it. Whether that remains true as AI drives its energy consumption higher is something the industry will be watching.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Microsofts #carbon #removal #plans #arent #dead #TechCrunchMicrosoft,biogas,Exclusive,carbon credits,carbon removal">Microsoft’s carbon removal plans aren’t dead after all | TechCrunch

Microsoft is purchasing 650,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from startup BioCirc, the company said today. 

As carbon removal deals go, it’s not a big buy. But this one is notable because last month, two reports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals.

For the carbon removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive.

Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times we may adjust the pace or volume of our carbon removal procurement as we continue to refine our approach toward sustainability goals.”

The new deal generates carbon removal credits from five BioCirc biogas projects. The biogas plants take biomass waste — frequently from agriculture — and use industrial bioreactors to turn it into methane and carbon dioxide. BioCirc captures the carbon dioxide and stores it in an underground reservoir offshore. The methane is then burned in a power plant. 

Microsoft’s sustainability goals have been strained by the company’s push into AI. To power its data centers in Texas, Microsoft last month said it was working with Chevron and Engine No. 1 to build a natural gas power plant in the state that could eventually generate 5 gigawatts of electricity. Emissions from that project alone promise to dwarf the deal with BioCirc.

Internally, Microsoft employees have also been debating whether to abandon the company’s goal of matching zero emissions electricity with its energy use on an hourly basis. Today, the company matches on an annual basis. That approach gives the company more flexibility to, say, use more natural gas to power its data centers at night, but it also makes the company’s clean energy claims harder to verify.

If Microsoft continues to pursue fossil fuel power plants, it’ll need to ramp up its carbon removal purchases to meet its 2030 target of becoming a carbon negative company (one that removes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it generates). 

Last year, Microsoft signed several deals worth millions of tons of carbon removal credits. The program’s reported pause set off alarm bells throughout the carbon removal industry, which is still in its infancy.

The new deal suggests that Microsoft is, in fact, recalibrating its carbon removal program — not abandoning it. Whether that remains true as AI drives its energy consumption higher is something the industry will be watching.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Microsofts #carbon #removal #plans #arent #dead #TechCrunchMicrosoft,biogas,Exclusive,carbon credits,carbon removal
Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.

Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes

Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India
	
Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.



Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes







The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.



According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:




India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.




The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.

According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:

India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.

The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin">Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India
	
Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.



Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes







The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.



According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:




India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.




The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.

Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes

Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India
	
Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.



Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes







The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.



According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:




India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.




The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.

According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:

India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.

The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin">Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India

Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.

Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes

Garmin Partners With MyKrida to Support Grassroots Athletes in India
	
Fitness wearables today are usually marketed toward marathon runners, cyclists, and people already deep into the fitness ecosystem. But for many talented athletes in India, especially those from remote or underrepresented regions, access to proper training tools remains a major challenge. That’s something Garmin now wants to help address through a new initiative in partnership with MyKrida. The company has equipped seven emerging athletes from tribal regions across India with Garmin Forerunner smartwatches to help them access structured performance tracking and training insights.



Garmin Wants to Bring Data-Driven Training to More Athletes







The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.



According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:




India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.




The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

The idea behind the initiative is fairly straightforward. Garmin’s Forerunner smartwatches can track metrics like heart rate, pace, distance, recovery, sleep quality, and training load. For professional athletes, this kind of data is already standard. But for many young athletes in smaller regions, access to these tools can genuinely change how they train. Garmin says the watches are meant to help athletes train smarter and improve consistency through better recovery and performance monitoring rather than simply increasing training intensity.

According to Deepak Raina, Director at AMIT GPS & Navigation LLP:

India has immense untapped athletic potential, particularly in regions where access to structured training tools remains limited. At Garmin, our focus is on enabling athletes with reliable, performance-led technology that brings clarity to how they train, recover, and improve. Through this initiative, we aim to support long-term athletic development and help these athletes compete with greater confidence and consistency.

The on-ground implementation is being managed by MyKrida, which works across grassroots and elite sports development programs in India. The platform focuses heavily on identifying athletes early and connecting them with structured support systems. According to MyKrida founder Shubham Sharma, the collaboration with Garmin helps bring “world-class performance technology directly to these athletes.”

#Garmin #Partners #MyKrida #Support #Grassroots #Athletes #IndiaGarmin

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