The US Department of Justice has charged a Chinese businessman with hacking into the computer systems of Boeing and other companies in order to obtain data about military projects, according to court filings unsealed this week. Su Bin, a Chinese national, was arrested in Canada late last month on a provisional warrant, a spokeswoman for the FBI said on Friday. He had been attempting to obtain residency there.
US prosecutors based in Los Angeles allege Su helped guide unidentified computer hackers in China on what technology they should procure from American company computer networks, the criminal complaint said. On occasion Su attempted to sell information gleaned by the hackers to state-owned Chinese companies, the filing said. It said that beginning in 2009, Su and his co-conspirators targeted information related to parts and performance for the C-17 military cargo aircraft program at Boeing, as well as the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets. An attorney for Su could not immediately be reached. In a statement, Boeing said it co-operated with US authorities.