According to a report in German magazine Der Spiegel, Chinese hackers launched major hacking attacks against European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) and steelmaker ThyssenKrupp in 2012.

The report, based on the information shared by identified sources from the two companies, underscores the fact that the German economy has been witnessing a sort of `trend' whereby Chinese hackers have been attacking an increasing number of domestic companies.

Going by the Der Spiegel report, an EADS spokesman has apparently revealed to Reuters that the attacks witnessed by the defense giant were "standard attacks," and that EADS - in close association with government authorities - is working on the issue of cyber security. The spokesman also added that the attack had not caused any harm to the company.

The Der Spiegel report also said that ThyssenKrupp has also confirmed a hacking attack, and has stated that the attack - which took place in the US - originated from a Chinese Internet address. The company also added that it, thus far, has no details about the data that had been pilfered by the hackers.

Meanwhile, noting that nearly 70 percent of all leading German firms are "threatened or affected" by cyber attacks, Stefan Kaller - the head of the department in charge of cyber security at the German Interior Ministry - said at a last-week European Police Congress: "The overwhelming number of attacks on government agencies that are detected in Germany stem from Chinese sources."