China accused of hacking, stealing US Navy plans

By Safvan Allahverdi

WASHINGTON

China allegedly hacked a U.S. Navy contractor and stole excessive amount of underwater warfare data on U.S. submarine technology, including plans for a supersonic anti-ship missile, an American daily reported Friday.

Citing U.S. officials, The Washington Post in its report said the breaches occurred in January and February when hackers targeted a contractor who works for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, a military organization that works on development of navy's submarines and underwater weaponry.

The officials said 614 gigabytes of material, which contained "a closely held project known as Sea Dragon, as well as signals and sensor data, submarine radio room information relating to cryptographic systems, and the navy submarine development unit’s electronic warfare library" were taken.

China's hacking attempt came as the Trump administration seeks to secure Beijing’s support in persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, even as tensions persist between the U.S. and China over trade and defense matters.
Officials said navy and the FBI are investigating the breach.