US asks China to investigate cyberattack targeting American sites

NEW THREAT: China's "Great Cannon" is a distinct cyberattack tool that hijacks traffic to or from individual IP addresses and allows China to target "any foreign computer that communicates with any China-based website," according to an analysis from information technology research group Citizen Lab of Toronto.

WASHINGTON: The United States said it has asked Beijing to investigate reports that China interfered with Internet content hosted outside the country and used it to attack US websites. 

"We are concerned by reports that China has used a new cyber capability to interfere with the ability of worldwide Internet users to access content hosted outside of China," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said.