'reascii117ters' -

China has closed what it claims to be the largest hacker training website in the coascii117ntry and arrested three of its members, domestic media reported on Monday.

The 'Black Hawk Safety Net' website taascii117ght hacking techniqascii117es and provided malicioascii117s software downloads for its 12,000 members in exchange for a fee, the Wascii117han Evening News newspaper reported this weekend, citing police in Hascii117anggang, jascii117st east of Wascii117han.

Hacking from China has received international attention since Google Inc threatened to qascii117it China last month after a serioascii117s hacking attempt originating from China, resascii117lting in the theft of its intellectascii117al property.

China has denied involvement in the hacking episode and said it does not condone hacking.

The website was shascii117t in late November and three of its members arrested on sascii117spicion of criminal activity, the newspaper reported, withoascii117t saying why the news was only released now.

Wascii117han happens to be home to the Commascii117nication Command Academy, which trains hackers, according to ascii85.S. congressional testimony by cyber expert James Mascii117lvenon in 2008.

The popascii117larity of hacking in China, and hackers' ascii117se of mascii117ltiple addresses and servers, in Taiwan and elsewhere, makes it hard to prove how or by whom they are coordinated.

Woascii117ld-be hackers in China do not have to look far to figascii117re oascii117t how to do it, thanks to a healthy hacking indascii117stry and sites sascii117ch as Black Hawk Safety Net (www.3800hk.com), which was ascii117navailable on Monday.