Officials and security professionals have urged the government to improve technical skills so that cybersecurity threats can be more readily visualized.

Zhang Yuxiang, director of an information security evaluation center at the Ministry of Public Security, said that it is urgent that academics study how to make use of big data to "see" online attacks, "as only in this way, can our countermeasures play a role in protecting cyberspace".

Zhang made the comments during a security forum held in Beijing at the end of July.

"By collecting and analyzing big data, we can know what online loopholes there are and where potential cybersecurity risks are. In other words, we can improve technical skills to visualize cyber attacks," he said.

Zhang described cybersecurity as fundamental for the nation's security. "As we feel and see the security risks, we'll control and fight them more easily," he added.

Ni Guangnan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who also took part in the forum, said they had joined hands with several technical companies to study and develop security products that can visualize online attacks.

The academy, with another three enterprises, also launched an alliance at the forum to develop visualized network security technology.

Su Changjun, CEO of ABT Networks Co Ltd, one of the cybersecurity technology companies, said they will provide products and technical skills to help predict, prevent, detect and respond to online attacks, making cyberspace much safer.

"The products will be also adopted in governmental network, and I believe they can reduce people's security fears while surfing the internet," Su added.