Federal prosecutors have indicted a Chinese engineer, Song Wu, for allegedly attempting to hack into NASA and other US research institutions between 2017 and 2021.
Wu, employed at a Chinese state-owned aerospace company, reportedly used spear-phishing emails to impersonate researchers and trick victims into sharing sensitive software and source code related to military and industrial applications. His targets included NASA, the US Air Force, Navy, and research universities.
Wu is accused of seeking aerodynamic simulation software, potentially useful for developing advanced missiles and weapons systems. In some cases, he posed as a colleague in the engineering field, pressuring victims to share urgently needed software.
He faces 14 counts of wire fraud and identity theft, with each wire fraud count carrying a maximum 20-year prison sentence. Wu is currently at large. This case echoes long-standing concerns over Chinese state-sponsored hacking aimed at stealing US intellectual property.
