Foreign journalists in China targeted by malware attacks

BEIJING (REUTERS) - Foreign journalists in Beijing have been targeted by two very similar malware attacks in just over two weeks in the lead-up to China's once-in-a-decade leadership transition.

The emails - one appearing to come from a Beijing-based foreign correspondent and the other from a Washington-based think tank - both contained an attachment with the same type of malware, according to independent cyber security expert Greg Walton who reviewed the files.

Malware attacks on foreign correspondents in China, Chinese dissidents or academics researching China tend to spike in the periods leading up to politically sensitive events for China. Previous spikes occurred ahead of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the 60th anniversary of Communist Party rule in 2009.

A government spokesman warned against jumping to conclusions about who was responsible.