Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/The Wuhan Kerui Cracking Academy
A Wuhan-based school that claims to offer aspiring hackers professional information security training has grown into an apparent headhunting hub for Chinese government hacking groups, according to a new investigation.
The Wuhan Kerui Cracking Academy is likely training hackers and funneling them into Chinese intelligence hacking shops at the Ministry of State Security (MSS), according to a Thursday report from “Intrusion Truth,” a mysterious persona bent on exposing Chinese government hacking groups.
The Daily Beast can reveal that the man at the helm of the Kerui Cracking Academy training operation—identified in the report as Qian Linsong—once lived in St. Petersburg, Florida while working for American tech company Thinking Systems Corporation. The company offers software developments services for medical imaging, including for customers in China, according to its website.