WASHINGTON — The United States has brought first-of-its kind cyber-espionage charges against five Chinese military officials accused of hacking into U.S. companies to gain trade secrets.
According to the indictment, hackers targeted the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries. The hackers are accused of stealing trade secrets and economic espionage. And the alleged victims are brand-name companies including Alcoa and Westinghouse.
The charges have been described as unprecedented and dramatize a long-time Obama administration goal to prosecute state-sponsored cyber threats.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the U.S. will not tolerate foreign government efforts to sabotage American companies.
U.S. officials have accused China's army and China-based hackers of launching attacks on American industrial and military targets, often to steal secrets or intellectual property. China has said that it faces a major threat from hackers, and the country's military is believed to be among the biggest targets of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.