A Chinese hacker allegedly broke into the network of world’s largest aerospace company and other defense contractors to steal sensitive information on the United States’ F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, as well as Boeing’s C-17 cargo plane.
The FBI believes that Su Bin, formerly of the Chinese aviation firm Lode Technologies, and two Chinese-based co-conspirators accessed a gold mine of information from Boeing and other contractors in Europe. The plan was to gather enough information so that the communist nation might “stand easily on the giant’s shoulders,” The Register reported Monday.
Mr. Su was arrested by Canadian mounties June 28 at the FBI’s request. The crimes are alleged to have occurred between 2009 and 2013, the paper reported.
“Emails between Su and (a co-conspirator) in January 2010 contain at least one lengthy C-17 directory file listing that matches in extensive detail the files and folders hosted on Boeing’s computer systems,” FBI special agent Noel Neeman wrote in a criminal complaint, The Register reported. “These facts show that the C-17 data was ex-filtrated directly from Boeing’s computer systems.”
A total of 32 projects are thought to have been compromised by the group, including 220MB relating to the F-22, the paper reported. The FBI believes 630,000 digital files relating to the C-17 cargo plane were stolen, amounting to 65GB.
Mr. Su is scheduled to appear in a Vancouver court this month, The Register reported.
SEE ALSO: A ‘new Cold War’: China’s top paper warns of ‘slippery slope’ towards conflict with U.S.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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