"Xu Zewei was transferred from Milan and appeared in federal court in Houston on a nine-count indictment alleging wire fraud, identity theft, and unauthorized access to protected computers. Authorities allege he was part of a network of contract hackers operating on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security."
"Prosecutors allege Xu worked for a Shanghai-based company that functioned as one of many 'enabling' firms conducting hacking operations for Chinese intelligence services. Court filings describe how Xu allegedly reported directly to Chinese intelligence officers and carried out specific tasks."
"In one instance, prosecutors say Xu confirmed he had accessed the network of a Texas-based research university and later retrieved the contents of researchers' email accounts at the direction of a state security officer. Xu has denied the allegations through an attorney."
Xu Zewei, a 34-year-old Chinese national, has been extradited from Italy to the U.S. to face federal charges related to hacking U.S. universities for COVID-19 research. He is accused of being part of a network of hackers working for China's Ministry of State Security. The indictment includes charges of wire fraud, identity theft, and unauthorized access to protected computers. Xu allegedly targeted email accounts of researchers and exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange as part of a broader cyber espionage campaign.
Read at Nextgov.com
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