DOJ Charges Chinese Military Hackers For Cybercrimes

In a first, the Justice Department announced today it has brought charges against five Chinese military members, accusing them of cybercrimes. DOJ and the FBI said the individuals – who allegedly worked with the People’s Liberation Army – hacked U.S. firms for trade secrets, including design information for a type of nuclear power plant and cost and pricing information from an American solar firm. DOJ posits that the hacked information was to be used to benefit competitor firms in China, including state-owned operations. “For too long, the Chinese government has blatantly sought to use cyber espionage to obtain economic advantage for its state-owned industries,” FBI Director James B. Comey said in a statement. “The indictment announced today is an important step. … With our unique criminal and national security authorities, we will continue to use all legal tools at our disposal to counter cyber espionage from all sources.”

The 31 charges are for computer fraud and abuse and economic espionage, taking place between 2006 and 2014, and may have been in the works for a year or more. “The range of trade secrets and other sensitive business information stolen in this case is significant and demands an aggressive response,” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said.