CybersecurityExchange student told to buy memory sticks and send them back to ChinaChina's People's Liberation Army was linked to cyberattacks in Japan in the mid-2010s. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)TATSUYA SUDO and TORU TSUNASHIMAJuly 2, 2026 03:10 JSTTOKYO -- The recent discovery that computers at Japan's Self-Defense Forces were infected with Chinese-linked viruses through USB drives is not the first time the devices have been implicated in a cybersecurity incident.Read NextCybersecurityChina-linked viruses found on USB drives from online retailersCybersecurityJapan defense forces used USB drives with China-linked virus: Nikkei investigationCrimeSingapore seizes $42m home in Nvidia chip smuggling caseCybersecurityCyberattacks threaten education in India, chips in Taiwan and China: reportInternational relationsChina spy case in Norway exposes weaknesses in Europe's Arctic frontEnergyChina storage battery makers denied cybersecurity approval in JapanCrimeSri Lanka emerges as new online scam hub after Cambodia and MyanmarFentanyl’s Hidden RoutesChinese fentanyl network suspected of crypto fraud via Japan baseFuture of Asia 2026From scams to deepfakes, AI use in Asia creates new cyberthreatsLatest on CybersecurityCybersecurityAflac Japan reports breach on 4.38 million customers, includes bank detailsCybersecurityChina-linked viruses found on USB drives from online retailersCybersecurityJapan defense forces used USB drives with China-linked virus: Nikkei investigation