It seems the Chinese are at it again. According to a report in the New York Times, the hackers working for the Chinese military's Unit 61398 are thought to have launched a new wave of attacks on the US.

Back in February of 2013, cybersecurity firm Mandiant thought it found conclusive evidence that the hacker attacks on the US were from a special unit within the Chinese military known as APT1 or Unit 61398.

In the past, the APT1 group's victims included companies such as RSA, Lockheed Martin and Coca Cola.

US National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said that China had last month agreed to form a new working group to start a dialogue on "cyber issues". Talking to the New York Times, Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia explained that the resumed attacks should probably be regarded as "the new normal".

Badly patched systems are the main target of the APT1 group. Small ISPs and online stores are special targets for cyber espionage. Talking to the New York Times, Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia explained that the resumed attacks should probably be regarded as "the new normal".