Hackers attempt to break into Gmail.

247 – Gmail has just experienced another stroke of bad luck. Chinese hackers recently attempted to compromise the accounts of hundreds of users of the email system, Google, the service's owner, announced on Wednesday. The accounts targeted included those of US government officials, military personnel, and political activists. The search giant claims the hackers came from the Jinan region of China and attempted to steal passwords to monitor the accounts.

Google's announcement about the breach publicly identifies China, for the second time, as a base for a scheme targeting Gmail. The company suspects the breaches were carried out through phishing – sending fake emails to trick users and obtain their passwords. The search giant stated that all users who were affected have been notified and that their accounts are secure.

In response, the Chinese government stated that it is not involved in the case. The spokesperson for the country's ministry, Hong Lei, announced to the press that blaming China for the attacks is unacceptable. "The hacks are a global problem, of which China is also a victim." The city identified by Google as the likely origin of the hackers responsible for the intrusion houses a military school whose computers were involved in an attack more than a year ago on the systems of Google and 20 other American companies.