The US and UK have accused a group of Chinese hackers of carrying out a 'malicious cyber campaign' across multiple countries in Europe, Asia and America.
The group - referred to as Advanced Persistent Threat 10 or APT 10 - is accused of acting on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security to target intellectual property and 'sensitive commercial data'.
Details of the allegations were revealed in coordinated statements by British and US authorities.
British cyber security officials said they assessed "with the highest level of probability" that the group was involved in a sustained campaign against large-scale service providers - adding that they "almost certainly continue to target a range of global companies".
Meanwhile, US officials revealed that two individuals - named as Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong - have been indicted by a grand jury in New York.
They're accused of being members of APT 10, and are charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The two men have not been arrested, and the FBI is appealing for information.
Zhu Hua & Zhang Shilong, two members of a hacking group operating in China known as the APT 10 Group, are #wanted by the FBI for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, & aggravated identity theft. Contact the FBI w/ info. https://t.co/VAnzlNfR4F pic.twitter.com/7MxcrA8jKi
— FBI (@FBI) December 20, 2018
APT 10
According to the FBI, the APT 10 group compromised data in at least a dozen states - Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and US.
They're believed to have targeted at least 45 commercial and defence technology companies - including firms working in aviation and space technology, computer processor technology, and oil and gas exploration.
They are also said to have stole information about more than 100,000 US Navy personnel.
In the British statement, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "This campaign is one of the most significant and widespread cyber intrusions against the UK and allies uncovered to date, targeting trade secrets and economies around the world.
"These activities must stop. They go against the commitments made to the UK in 2015, and, as part of the G20, not to conduct or support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property or trade secrets."
The US deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, meanwhile, claimed APT 10 supplied China’s intelligence service with access to sensitive business information.
He claimed: "This is outright cheating and theft, and it gives China an unfair advantage at the expense of law-abiding businesses and countries that follow the international rules in return for the privilege of participating in the global economic system."
