A Chinese national, Xu Zewei, has been arrested on charges of hacking into computer systems of various US universities with the intent of stealing research related to COVID-19. The arrest was announced by the authorities on Tuesday, and it follows a nine-count indictment filed in the Southern District of Texas for activities believed to have occurred between February 2020 and June 2021. Another individual, Zhang Yu, has also been implicated in the indictment but remains at large.
Xu was apprehended in Italy and is currently awaiting extradition to the United States. Court documents allege that Xu and his associates targeted multiple institutions, including research conducted by immunologists and virologists focused on COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and testing methodologies. According to Nicholas J. Ganjei, the US Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, this hacking incident not only violates intellectual property rights but also represents a direct threat to American scientific progress.
While the specific universities targeted have not been publicly disclosed, officials noted that two of them are located within the Southern District of Texas. Further claims suggest that Xu and his co-conspirators acted under the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) throughout their hacking operations.
Xu and Zhang are reportedly connected to a hacking group identified as HAFNIUM, which has been linked to attempts to infiltrate over 60,000 entities in the US, successfully breaching more than 12,700 and extracting sensitive data. Their malware campaign also included attempts to compromise a global law firm with offices in Washington, DC.
The charges against Xu encompass wire fraud, unauthorised access to protected computer information, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud aspect of the charges. The announcement regarding Xu’s arrest follows the recent indictment of two other Chinese nationals for espionage activities within the United States, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding cyber threats linked to Chinese actors.
As of now, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Washington has not responded to requests for comments concerning the allegations.