Chinese hackers have launched a wave of attacks on mainly US engineering and defence companies linked to the disputed South China Sea, the cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc said. 

The suspected Chinese cyber-espionage group dubbed TEMP.Periscope appeared to be seeking information that would benefit the Chinese government, said FireEye, a US-based provider network protection systems. The hackers have focused on US maritime entities that were either linked to – or have clients operating in – the South China Sea, said Fred Plan, senior analyst at FireEye in Los Angeles.