Chinese Man Accused of Hacking and Stealing Covid Research Arrested—FBI
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Authorities in Italy arrested Xu Zewei, 33, of China on the request of the United States, a statement from the US Department of Justice said Tuesday.
Zewei is charged in a nine-count indictment, along with his co-defendant Chinese citizen, Zhang Yu, 44, according to the statement.
Both are accused of stealing Covid-19 research from the US while hacking on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS).
The DOJ also alleges the pair stole the Exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server Vulnerabilities, known publicly as the Indiscriminate 'HAFNIUM' Intrusion Campaign, on behalf of MSS.
The hacking is believed to have taken place between February 2020 and June 2021, according to the statement.
The DOJ says Zewei is a prolific hacker who worked for a company named Shanghai Powerock Network Co. Ltd. (Powerock) when the hacking occurred.
"Powerock was one of many 'enabling' companies in the PRC that conducted hacking for the PRC government," the DOJ statement said.
Zewei is expected to be extradited to the United States on these charges.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to come. De
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