Chinese army unit responsible for 'thousands' of hacks against U.S. government and companies is tracked back to a single building in Shanghai In the raging cyber war to protect the corporate and government secrets of the United States, a nondescript office building in a rundown Shanghai neighborhood is ground zero. An American security firm says it has tracked hundreds, if not thousands, of cyber attacks in the U.S. back to a single building, which is the headquarters for an elite Chinese army unit called the 'Comment Crew.' The New York Times reveals that Unit 61398 - the 2nd Bureau of the People's Liberation Army's General Staff Department's 3rd Department - is definitively linked to stolen technology blueprints, manufacturing processes, clinical trial results, pricing documents, negotiation strategies and other secret data from more than 100 companies. More alarmingly, the Times reports, the Chinese army unit has also made incursions into the computer networks that control oil pipelines, power grids, water plants and other pieces of key infrastructure in the country. Ground zero: This is the building where 'thousands' of cyber attacks on U.S. companies have originated, according to reports by American security firms The Times report is based on research by Mandiant, a Washington-based cyber security company, that has compiled a detailed dossier on the activities of Unit 61398, tying attacks to the People's Liberation Army. Chinese Comment Crew hackers have also breached RSA Security, which makes SecurID tokens used by employees of U.S. intelligence agencies and military contractors. The Chinese government denies any involved in cyber attacks, saying that breaching security at American companies and government agencies is illegal. 'It is unprofessional and groundless to accuse the Chinese military of launching cyberattacks without any conclusive evidence,' the Chinese Defense Ministry told the Times. Nonetheless, a White House spokesman says the Obama Administration has complained to Chinese officials about the cyber attacks. Denial: The People's Liberation Army denies that a military installation in a poor Shanghai neighborhood is the home of cyber attacks on the U.S. There remains, though, a hot debate about just how far to push the issue, in light of the complicated and delicate relationship that the U.S. has with China. Some critics say President Barack Obama is unwilling to crack down on China over cyber theft, despite it costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars each year. 'Right now there is no incentive for the Chinese to stop doing this,' Rep. Mike Rogers, Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, told the Times. 'If we don't create a high price, it's only going to keep accelerating.'