Two Chinese nationals are now facing multiple charges by the United States court. This was after allegedly trying to steal some of the country's most important coronavirus researches. The report said that the court suggests that the Chinese hackers may have been working for the Chinese government to steal the info from the Federal government.  

U.S. Justice files charges of an 11-count indictment

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[BREAKING] 2 Chinese Hackers Caught Stealing U.S. COVID-19 Research to Allegedly Use for China

As reported via Fox News, two Chinese nationals were charged with 11-count indictment after allegedly working to steal important COVID-19 researches in the U.S. and even to other countries. 

On Tuesday, July 21, the U.S. Department of Justice released the court papers, accusing Li Xiaoyu, 34, and Dong Jiazhi, 33, of working for China's state intelligence bureau. Both Chinese men allegedly broke into the accounts of democratic and human rights activists in the United States, Hong Kong, and even Mainland China. 

Hundreds of government groups and facilities were compromised due to the said ten-year-con of both hackers. 

"The hackers stole terabytes of data from hundreds of targets which comprised a sophisticated and prolific threat to U.S. networks," the DOJ said.

The hackers were first identified when they breach the U.S. Department of Energy network in Hanford, Washington. The Chinese men allegedly use unpatched vulnerabilities on the Internet and break into their victim's software. Most of the time, they install password-stealing software in devices to easily access someone's account. 

Why COVID-19 researches?

(Photo : Photo by Adam Nieścioruk on Unsplash )
[BREAKING] 2 Chinese Hackers Caught Stealing U.S. COVID-19 Research to Allegedly Use for China

Interestingly, since the pandemic started, both hackers were allegedly planning their tactic to access sensitive COVID-19 researches in the country. 

Since both were accused of being members of China's intelligence group, the court also discusses the possibilities that the Chinese government was the one behind the hacking.

Aside from COVID-19 info, Tech Crunch also noted that the hackers stole information on military satellite programs, military wireless networks, and high-powered microwave and laser systems from defense contractors. 

"China is now a safe haven for cybercriminals," says National Security

John C. Demers, U.S. assistant attorney general for national security, said that the indictment was called a 'concrete example' of how China wants to 'rob, replicate, and replace' competitors in the global market. 

"China has now taken its place, alongside Russia, Iran and North Korea, in that shameful club of nations that provide a safe haven for cybercriminals in exchange for those criminals being 'on-call' to work for the benefit of the state," explains him. 

What happens to the suspects once found guilty?

If the court finds both hackers guilty with cyber criminal crimes, Li and Dong will face more than 40 years in prison. Both Chinese nationals were reportedly staying in China, so the extradition to the country may not be possible. 

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