Two Chinese nationals charged by US with hacking 'hundreds' of victims
The US has charged two alleged Chinese spies with
hacking defence contractors, coronavirus researchers and hundreds of other
victims worldwide, according to a court filing.
Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi were described as "one
of the most prolific groups of hackers" the FBI has investigated.
Authorities said the pair took part in a years-long
cyber espionage campaign that stole weapon designs, drug information, and
software source code.
Li and Dong allegedly stole terabytes of data from
computers around the world - including the US, Britain, Germany, Australia and
Belgium - while acting as contractors for China's Ministry of Security (MSS).
The MSS, prosecutors said, had supplied the hackers
with information that allowed them to infiltrate targets and collect
intelligence.
China has repeatedly denied hacking the US and other
rival powers.
In a court filing, the US Justice Department said Li
and Dong were implicated in the theft of hundreds of millions dollars in
intellectual property.
US attorney William Hyslop said "there are
hundreds and hundreds of victims in the United States and worldwide".
Among those targeted were Hong Kong protesters, the
office of the Dalai Lama and a Chinese-Christian non-profit, US authorities
alleged.
