Story
US says that two Chinese hackers attacked security firms, activists, and coronavirus work
The US Department of Justice has charged two suspected Chinese hackers with stealing trade secrets and other sensitive data from businesses around the world, including firms focused on COVID-19 drugs and vaccines. Investigators say that some of the attacks have been carried out on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security, while others have been carried out for personal benefit. The couple is now investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi are said to have been involved since 2009. The Department of Justice claims it has found hackers after breaching servers at the Hanford Department of Energy, which is home to a decommissioned nuclear power plant.
In addition to this violation, they are accused of infiltrating a broad variety of electronics, security, entertainment and biotech businesses, frequently finding proprietary data. At least one situation showed them attempting to extort a company by threatening to post their source code online.
The lawsuit lists 25 unidentified plaintiffs' firms from the United Kingdom, Asia , Australia and South Korea. Many were infected between 2015 and 2019 due to the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, the Department of Justice claims the "probed for flaws" pair of organizations operating on COVID-19 drugs, vaccinations, and studies.
In May, the FBI warned Chinese government-affiliated hackers "attempting to detect and illegally capture" data on COVID-19 study. Last week, the United Kingdom 's National Information Security Centre, on its own, reported that hackers connected to Russian intelligence services had attacked companies testing coronavirus vaccines.
According to the indictment, Li and Dong both stole "obvious value" information on Chinese national security, including intelligence on strategic satellite projects and strategic communications networks.
In addition to supplying company details to the Ministry of State Security, they allegedly provided them with personal account records on dissidents — including a group activist from Hong Kong, a former protester from Tiananmen Square, and a pastor from the Christian Church in Xi'an.
Li and Dong are charged with identity stealing, conspiring to commit wire fraud, and breaking anti-hacking rules. The charges with both of them bring a potential sentence of more than 40 years, although they are unlikely to be charged or taken to court in the US.
