Recorded Future has uncovered links between the Beijing Institute of Electronics Technology and Applications (BIETA) and China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), the country's main intelligence policy agency.
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BIETA, according to the cybersecurity firm, was likely founded in some form in 1983, the same year MSS was created, and supports, along with its subsidiary Beijing Sanxin Times Technology Co (CIII), MSS's businesses in various activities.
Likely led by the MSS and based in the ministry complex, BIETA is believed to research, create and sell technology to support the country's intelligence, counterintelligence and military operations, according to the Recorded Future report.
Their activities include research into steganography methods that potentially support covert communications (COVCOM) and malware development, development and sale of forensic and counterintelligence equipment, and acquisition of foreign technologies for steganography, network penetration testing, and military communications and design.
While not involved in illegal activity, BIETA and CIII are almost certainly fronts for the MSS, which deals with political and domestic cybersecurity, strategic, economic and technological intelligence, and counterintelligence, and creates tools for intelligence officers and their associates.
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BIETA includes at least four research laboratories, focused on communication, multimedia security and electromagnetic technology, as well as hybrid integrated circuits, and has a quality control center covering integrated circuits, networking, multimedia and audiovisual, and comprehensive product testing.
In addition to communication, information processing, information security, computer vulnerabilities and signal technologies, BIETA researches encryption, forensic technology, networking, steganography and technology miniaturization.
At least four people at BIETA, namely Wu Shizhong, He Dequan, You Xingang and Zhou Linna, are associated with MSS and three of them are very likely MSS personnel, according to Recorded Future.
The cybersecurity firm also revealed a focus on steganography, the technology of hiding information within other data. Both BIETA and CIII are researching it, likely to support defensive and offensive operational activities of the MSS.
According to Recorded Future, MSS also benefits from BIETA and CIII's access to international communities of experts, collaboration with other academics, participation in international conferences, and access to foreign technology, which creates technology transfer risks.
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It is unknown how often BIETA and CIII conduct operations outside of China or collaborate with foreign experts. However, export control authorities concerned about the Chinese intelligence community and military’s access to COVCOM technologies such as steganography, network simulation, penetration testing, and 3D modeling and communications technologies should consider these entities.
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