The two hackers also allegedly stole millions of dollars’ worth of trade secrets and private business information.
The Justice Department announced charges against two Chinese cybercriminals who were caught targeting COVID-19 research. For over a decade, the two hackers are alleged to have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars in trade secrets, intellectual property, and other private business information belonging to hundreds of companies around the world. In an 11-count indictment, the two Chinese hackers, Li Xiaoyu,34, and Dong Jiazh,33, are accused of working for their own personal profit and with Chinese state support of the Guangdong State Security Department (GSSD), a regional office of the Ministry of State Security (MSS). The MSS officers were not charged in this case. On Tuesday, John Demers, the assistant attorney general for national security said the pair, who are not in U. S. custody, pose a «prolific threat» to the country’s networks. «China has now taken its place, alongside Russia, Iran, and North Korea, in that shameful club of nations that provide a safe haven for cyber criminals in exchange for those criminals being ‘on call’ to work for the benefit of the state,» Demers said at a press conference Tuesday. «With the top cover provided by state officials, these criminals are given free rein to victimize law abiding citizens around the world.
