A China-based network stole Indian military secrets, hacked the Dalai Lama's office and computers around the world.

According to boffins at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab said they documented a "complex ecosystem of cyber espionage that systematically compromised government, business, academic and other computer networks in India, the offices of the Dalai Lama, the United Nations, and several other countries."

Most of the hacked networks were in India and contained sensitive information about missile systems and artillery designs and Sino-Indian relations. In a report titled "Shadows in the Cloud" the Citizen's Lab said that information of people from 31 countries was accessed, including from Canadian visa applications.

Insecurity expert Greg Walton said these were "very targeted and deliberate attacks".

"They suggest to us a shift is occurring from criminal and industrial espionage in cyberspace to political espionage," he said.