Close on the heels of a Wednesday report in The New York Times (NY Times)that Chinese hackers, seemingly with government links, had broken into its computers, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said in a Thursday report that Chinese hackers had hit its computers too.

While the NY Times report said that the attack by the Chinese infiltrators on its computers came after its expose about the immense wealth which a leading politician's family had amassed, people familiar with the incident involving the hacking of WSJ computers have revealed that the attacks were apparently part of a wide-ranging electronic surveillance of media firms by Chinese hackers, with the objective of spying on reporters who write about China and other issues.

Hinting that hacking of WSJ computers by Chinese hackers - who are probably connected to China's military - was an incident of cyber-spying, the Journal's publisher Dow Jones & Co. said that the hackers had infiltrated the WSJ computer systems for monitoring its China coverage.

Though the Journal stopped short of specifying any timeline for the attacks, it said that the attacks launched on its computers by Chinese hackers are an indication that China's spying on US media firms has become "a widespread phenomenon."

Meanwhile, condemning the cyber-spying allegations being leveled against China, Geng Shuang - a Chinese Embassy spokesman - said that cyberattacks are prohibited by the Chinese government; and added that the government "has done what it can to combat such activities in accordance with Chinese laws."