The U.S. accused Chinese military officials of hacking into several U.S. enterprises, including Westinghouse and U.S. Steel, to steal “significant” amounts of trade secrets and intellectual property in an indictment made public Monday.
It is the first time the U.S. has charged a state actor in a criminal cyber espionage case.
The Chinese hackers, using military and intelligence resources, downloaded massive amounts of industrial information, including strategic plans, from U.S. businesses, the indictment said.
In addition to Westinghouse and U.S. Steel, victims included Solar World, United Steel Workers Union and Alcoa.
For more on this story, visit Kevin Johnson and Donna Leinwand Leger (USA Today).
