Chinese man charged with hacking into US fighter jet plans

A Chinese businessman charged with hacking computer systems of U.S. companies with defence contracts remains in custody in Canada. US authorities have charged a Chinese businessman with hacking into the computer systems of companies with large defence contracts, including Boeing, to steal data on military projects including some of the latest fighter jets, according to officials.

Su Bin worked with two unnamed Chinese hackers to get the data between 2009 and 2013, then attempted to sell some of the information to state-owned Chinese companies, prosecutors said.

The three hackers targeted fighter jets such as the F-22 and the F-35 as well as Boeing's C-17 military cargo aircraft programme, according to a criminal complaint filed in US district court in Los Angeles that was unsealed on Thursday. An attorney for Su could not be reached for comment.

U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Marc Raimondi said the conspirators are alleged to have stolen data related to military aircraft and weapons systems.

Accusations of hacking by China and counterclaims of such activity by the U.S. government have strained U.S.-Chinese relations. Chinese hacking has been a major theme of U.S.-China discussions this week in Beijing, though both sides have publicly steered clear of the controversy.

Sources:
huffingtonpost
theguardian