Yahoo Finance US accuses China of trying to hack coronavirus vaccine research
The United States has accused China of using hackers to infiltrate Western companies in an attempt to steal coronavirus vaccine research.
According to the US justice department two hackers, working as contractors for China's Ministry of Security, targeted biotech companies in Massachusetts and Maryland known to be working on vaccines.
FBI deputy director David Bowdich accused the Chinese government of acting like an "organised criminal syndicate."
The US said computer experts Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi were behind a six-year long campaign in which they stole defence and trade secrets worth hundreds of millions dollars.
Their alleged victims included an unnamed British artificial intelligence and cancer research firm, Hong Kong protesters, and the office of the Dalai Lama.
US officials said, more recently, they had "researched vulnerabilities in the networks of biotech and other firms publicly known for work on Covid-19 vaccines, treatments, and testing technology."
It was not alleged that they were successful.
Mr Li and Mr Dong have been charged with offences including conspiracy to commit computer fraud.
John Demers, US assistant attorney general, said: "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."
He said the hackers fed the Chinese Communist Party’s "insatiable hunger for American and other non-Chinese companies’ hard-earned intellectual property, including Covid-19 research."
The FBI said it was "one of the most prolific groups of hackers we have investigated" and had used a tool called "China Chopper" while gaining access to systems.
In one case Mr Li allegedly tried to extort $15,000 in cryptocurrency from a victim.
They allegedly stole terabytes of data from computers around the world, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Spain, Australia and Belgium.
Beijing has repeatedly denied hacking the United States and other rival powers.
US officials said their investigation began after the hackers broke into a decommissioned nuclear production complex in Washington state.
