A clandestine Chinese military unit has conducted sophisticated cyber espionage operations against dozens of American and Canadian companies, we dig to the bottom of this story and share our insights.

A 75 year old Soybean farmer is fighting Monsanto all the way to the US Supreme court, but things are not looking good for the farmer.

Then it’s our first review of the blockbuster show politicians are gearing up for, the Horse Meat Scandal Trots Along, and how the media attacked video games again this week.

Plus your feedback, and much much more on this week’s Unfilter.

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A spot buy meant to take advantage of the big deliveries for a breaking news story like the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan won\’t necessarily be as comfortable a fit as a :30 that airs during a space shuttle launch or ticker-tape parade, but CNN will still sell it at a premium.

• How CNN Sells Breaking News

— Soybean Farmers Monsanto Lawsuit Reaches US Supreme Court —

Supreme Court justices suggest they would agree with Monsanto that its patent protection covers not just the first planting but also seeds generated later.

• Justices skeptical of farmer who planted patented Monsanto seeds
• Supreme Court sympathizes with Monsanto in seed patent case

\”Without the ability to limit reproduction of soybeans containing this patented trait,\” he said, \”Monsanto could not have commercialized its invention and never would have produced what is, by now, the most popular agricultural technology in America.\”

• Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Bowman v. Monsanto – NYTimes.com

— Horse Meat Labelled as Beef Scandal Trots Along —

First centered on Britain and Ireland, the scandal over beef products adulterated with horse meat escalated across Continental Europe on Tuesday after Nestlé, one of the world’s best-known food companies, said it was removing pasta meals from store shelves in Italy and Spain.

• Nestlé Removes 2 Products in Horse Meat Scandal
• The Real Scandal Behind Britain’s Horsemeat Fiasco

— The so Called Sequester Battle —

With just a little over a week to avert them, it appears increasingly likely the $1.2 trillion in so-called sequester cuts will go into effect.

• Boehner, WH trade blame for sequester – CBS News

Unofficially, many members of Congress are betting that a few weeks into the automatic spending cuts, Democratic and Republican leaders will get serious about negotiating a replacement to the sequestration and the $85 billion in spending cuts will not have had time to really bite.

• Sequester Cuts Will Not Cause The Sky To Fall On March 1

— US Businesses Under Sustained CYBER ATTACK!!oneone!! —

The report by computer security firm Mandiant Corp. in Alexandria, Va., breaks new ground by attributing attacks against 141 companies to a specific 12-story office building in the financial center of Shanghai.

• Computer security firm blames cyber spying on Chinese military

• Report: Chinese Hacking US Banks, Power Grid

• This is How China Hacks America: Inside the Mandiant Report – The Daily Beast

• Chinese Military Accused Of Widespread Cyber Attacks On U.S. Corporations And Government Agencies: Gothamist
• Fascinating video tracks a real Chinese hacker in action
• Researchers Name Three Hackers Tied To One Of China\’s Most Active Military Intrusion Teams – Forbes

Shanghai security officers chase a CNN crew attempting to record a building at the center of hacking allegations

• China security officers chase CNN crew – YouTube

• One Site May Be Responsible for Recent Hacks – Mike Isaac – Social – AllThingsD

Chinese officials have insisted in recent years that China is one of the biggest targets of cyberattacks.

\”Statistics show that Chinese military terminals connected to the Internet have been subjected to large numbers of attacks from abroad,\” the defense ministry said Wednesday, adding that Internet protocol addresses \”indicate that a considerable number of these attacks are from the United States, but we have never used this as a reason to accuse the United States.\”

\”Every country should handle the problem of cybersecurity in a professional and responsible manner,\” the ministry said.

• China Says Army Is Not Behind Attacks in Report

A look at Mandiant, allegations on China hacking – SFGate

• Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., Mandiant was started in 2004 by Kevin Mandia, a retired Air Force officer who carved out a lucrative niche investigating computer crimes.

• Mandiant was most recently noted for its work in helping The New York Times trace an attack on its employees\’ computers to China, following a Times investigation into China\’s Premier Wen Jiabao. The newspaper publicly acknowledged Mandiant\’s role in the case.

• Mandiant alleges that it has traced a massive hacking campaign on U.S. businesses to a drab, white 12-story office building outside Shanghai run by \”Unit 61398\” of the People\’s Liberation Army. The report contains some of the most extensive and detailed accusations on China\’s cybersnooping publicly available, including a timeline and details of malware used.

• Mandiant has an obvious commercial interest in releasing the information, too. The company said its existing customers were already warned about and protected against the techniques it discovered, and it offered a free software tool to companies and organizations to detect suspicious activity. It puts Mandiant front-and-center at a critical time on a national debate about cybersecurity.

• Its founder testified earlier this month to the House Intelligence Committee on hacking threats.

• Read the full report PDF

• U.S. Govt: Cyberattacks a \’Substantial\’ Concern – YouTube

— Adam Lanza Reportedly Used Violent Video Games to Hone Killing Skills —

A blacked-out gaming room helped Newtown, Conn., shooter Adam Lanza descend into his own world, CBS News senior correspondent John Miller, a former FBI assistant director, said on \”CBS This Morning.\”

• Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza blacked out game room, bedroom

\”During an ongoing criminal investigation, we do not release bits and pieces of a case, we simply don\’t do it so anyone that sees any information that indicates that it is associated with this case, and see \”sources,\” being the source of information, should be take a step back,\” said Lt. Vance.

• State Police dispute Lanza\’s \’motive\’

— US General Allen retires —

The American general tipped to become the next head of NATO has decided instead to retire. The decision came after a scandal linking him to inappropriate emails to a woman. General John Allen was nominated for the job after running the war in Afghanistan for 19 months.

• US General Allen retires

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