Cybersecurity Expert Reveals How They Found China’s Secret Hacker Unit
Source: YouTube · Shawn Ryan Clips · published Aug 6, 2026 · 15:14
The video details the immediate fallout of exposing Chinese military hacking unit APT1 (Unit 61398), highlighting the unprecedented scale of intellectual property theft that prompted top NSA officials to label it the largest in history 0:00.
Key Takeaways:
• The speaker recounts the personal chaos following the report's release, receiving a frantic call from his ex-wife telling him to turn on the TV 0:06.
• When asked what the hackers stole, the speaker notes it is easier to list what they didn't take, emphasizing the sheer volume of the breach 0:22.
• Successive NSA Directors, including General Alexander and Admiral Rogers, testified that the operation constituted the largest intellectual property theft in history 0:26.
• The conversation shifts to the investigative methods used by Mandiant following the publication of their groundbreaking findings 0:41.
The exposure of Unit 61398 marked a pivotal moment in cybersecurity, forcing a public acknowledgment of state-sponsored cyber espionage.
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First 800 characters of the transcript
You were just telling me a story when you exposed a 61 >> 61398. I go into work the next morning. All of a sudden my cell phone rings and I answer it and it's my now ex-wife. And her exact words were, "What the did you do?" She's like, "Turn on your TV." We had it right cuz [music] we use Google Earth, Shawn. Isn't that insane? What kind of stuff did they steal? It would be hard to say what they didn't. You know, that's the reality. I mean, when they And that's why General Alexander, you read the testimony from the director of the NSA, largest IP theft in history, Admiral Rogers after him, General Nakasone, all of them kind of allude to China's kind of taken a ton. Now, there was a dialogue after that report. Here's what's amazing. At Mandiant, what we were doing is we were kind of monitor…