Five Chinese military hackers employed by the Chinese government were accused yesterday of infiltrating American companies and stealing trade secrets. By charging the men with economic espionage and identity theft, among other crimes, the Department of Justice has set the stage for a tense standoff with the Chinese government.
If the allegations are true, the Chinese government has aimed at the very heart of American enterprise. The apparent victims of the hacking are American titans: U.S. Steel, the nation’s oldest and biggest steel manufacturer and the lovechild of tycoons Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan; Alcoa, the world’s third-largest aluminum maker; Westinghouse Electrical Company, one of the world’s leading nuclear power developers; SolarWorld AG a leading solar technology company ; and the United Steelworkers, among America’s most iconic labor unions.
The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang called the claims baseless, “made-up” and hypocritical, but the Justice Department is adamant.
But what exactly are the Chinese accused of stealing from these American corporations? And does it matter? Here’s exactly what the Department of Justice alleges the Chinese have actually taken:
1. Solar power technology
2. Nuclear power plant technology
3. Inside information on U.S. business strategy
4. Data enabling the Chinese to outwit U.S. regulators
But these alleged crimes are only the tip of the iceberg, experts say. Hackers in China, Iran and Russia have repeatedly targeted broad swathes of the American economy, sucking up intellectual property and battling to outbid American corporations. “Pick a Fortune 1000 and they’ve all had it happen. They’ve all been targeted in one form or another or had an incident,” says Kurtz. “There are two types of companies: ones that know they’ve been hacked and the ones that just haven’t figured it out yet.”
SEE FULL ARTICLE HERE:
http://time.com/106319/heres-what-chinese-hackers-actually-stole-from-u-s-companies/
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