Chinese intelligence officers charged with stealing U.S. aviation technology
For the third time since September, Chinese intelligence officers are accused of stealing information from American corporations. Ten Chinese intelligence officers, hackers and company insiders face espionage charges.
A federal indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses them of conspiring to steal commercial jet engine technology from more than a dozen companies. The latest indictment adds to the growing tension between the U.S. and China in the middle of this fierce trade war, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues.
Federal prosecutors say the Chinese officers tried to steal coveted information on turbofan engine technology while they were working to develop a similar engine for their commercial planes. It lists 13 companies as targets of the operation, with offices located in France, the United Kingdom, and eight cities in the U.S. The hackers allegedly used several tactics including injecting malware into the companies' computer systems.
In a statement, a U.S. attorney accused China of trying to steal the information for commercial gain, saying China could use the information to build their own engines instead of buying American.