China closed in November what it says was the largest hacker training website in the country, Reuters reports.

Three people have been arrested for their connection with running the site and will face criminal charges.

The "Black Hawk Safety Net" website taught hacking techniques and provided malicious software downloads for its 12,000 members in exchange for a fee, Reuters says, citing a report in the Wuhan Evening News newspaper.

Hacking from China has aroused the attention of international media since Google Inc threatened to quit China last month after a serious hacking attempt traced to China, Reuters writes.

The official stance of the Chinese government is that it does not condone hacking.

According to Reuters, US cyber expert James Mulvenon said in 2008 that Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, is home to the Communication Command Academy, which trains hackers.

One of the problems faced by authorities trying to crack down on Chinese hacking networks is that they often use multiple addresses and servers located in Taiwan and elsewhere.

According to China Daily, the hacker industry in China caused losses of 7.6 billion yuan (about 800 million euros) in 2009.

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