A Chinese businessman who pleaded guilty in March to hacking two U.S. defense contractors was sentenced on July 13 to almost four years in prison.
Su Bin, 51, admitted to orchestrating a years-long hacking campaign in conjunction with Chinese military leaders during which they were able to breach the networks of two aerospace contractors.
From October 2008 to March 2014, Su worked with two hackers, instructing them on which companies to target and what information to look for. Su would then translate the information into Chinese and forward it to his customers along with detailed reports.
The scheme was successful in stealing technical data on Boeing’s C-17 strategic transport aircraft and details on an unnamed company’s fighter jet.
“Su assisted the Chinese military hackers in their efforts to illegally access and steal designs for cutting-edge military aircraft that are indispensable to our national defense,” John Carlin, assistant attorney general for national security, said after the sentencing. “These activities have serious consequences for the national security of our country and the safety of the men and women of our armed services. This prison sentence reinforces our commitment to ensure that hackers, regardless of state affiliation, are held accountable for their criminal conduct.”
The data on both aircraft are included on the U.S. Munitions List, a catalog of services and technologies protected under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Su pleaded guilty to violating the Arms Export Control Act, as well as one count of conspiring to gain unauthorized access to a protected computer. He was sentenced to 46 months in a federal prison.
