The broad range of cyber threats from Beijing disclosed by international bodies on Monday included a ransomware attack from alleged Chinese Government-affiliated hackers who targeted victims with demands for millions of dollars. Furthermore, the exploitation of Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities in New Zealand in early 2021, which the GCSB attributed to state-sponsored Chinese actors, left many companies and organisations vulnerable to other attacks. Cyberattacks are an increasing issue worldwide and analysts say the breadth of them and the damage they cause is getting worse, putting people, businesses and governments at a disadvantage and posing a security risk. China has long been accused of espionage – in part, so that allegedly offshore intellectual property can be stolen to benefit Chinese businesses. However, the recent attacks were more widespread and also of more concern because Microsoft’s vulnerabilities were shared, allowing them to be exploited by other cyber actors.