Chinese Citizen Pleads Guilty to Hacking U.S. Defense Manufacturers

Su Bin, also known as Stephen Su and Stephen Subin, a Chinese citizen, pleaded guilty yesterday to participating in a long-term conspiracy to hack into the computer systems of several major U.S. defense manufacturers in an attempt to steal and then export sensitive information to China.

He faces jail time and a hefty fine. John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the DoJ, said: Su Bin admitted to playing an important role in a conspiracy, originating in China, to illegally access sensitive military data, including data relating to military aircraft that are indispensable in keeping our military personnel safe,” said John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the DoJ.

The data taken by Bin and his cohorts concerned the U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane and several fighters.

China is lauding his achievements. "On the secret battlefield without gunpowder, China needs special agents to gather secrets from the US," it added.

An editorial in the Global Times said: "As the 'war of information' between China and the US continues there will probably be more Chinese framed as spies."

Washington and Beijing have repeatedly clashed over what the US describes as rampant cyberspying by the Chinese government on US industry.

Source: SecurityWeek