Police arrest 22 in cyber security campaign

More than 20 people suspected of damaging cyberspace security and stealing the information of Internet users were detained during a campaign against online crimes in Beijing.

Beijing police arrested 22 suspects and smashed two gangs that allegedly made use of the Internet to commit crimes, in the campaign that lasted more than 60 days, according to a statement from the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

A suspect surnamed Zhang, 21, a native of Shanxi province, allegedly produced a Trojan horse virus that could be automatically installed when mobile phone users opened their WeChat app, a popular instant messaging tool.

The virus could access the user's identity card number, bank account numbers and codes, and Zhang could use that information for profit, the statement said.

Zhang told the police he obtained information this way more than 20 times from April to May, profiting by more than 50,000 yuan ($8,099), the statement said.

In another case that occurred in May, a suspect surnamed Zhao, 26, allegedly hacked into a driving school's website and linked it to a gambling website, the police said, adding it took them almost two months to trace the offender.

On July 8, Zhao was arrested in Henan province and confessed that the connection to the gambling website earned him money, the statement added.

Beijing police said that smartphones, especially those with WeChat and other applications installed that allow online payment services, have become major targets of hackers, and recommended users only install such software from regulated online stores.