China's AI Hacking Contest Raises State Control Fears

China's Tianfu Cup hacking competition recently took place in Chengdu, with a significant increase in government involvement and a new emphasis on artificial intelligence for identifying software vulnerabilities. Previously organized by private cybersecurity firms, this year's event appears to have been orchestrated by entities linked to China's Ministry of Public Security.

This development raises concerns among cybersecurity experts about a growing trend towards state control over vulnerability research. The competition, which was inaccessible from outside China and later taken offline, tested participants on a range of platforms including mobile devices, operating systems, and cloud products.

While the exact fate of discovered vulnerabilities remains unclear, the competition's history and current structure suggest a potential channeling of these findings into state-sponsored cyber operations rather than vendor disclosure. This approach, experts believe, could enhance China's global hacking prowess.