U.S. Charges Chinese Engineer in Aviation Cyberespionage Case

The United States Department of Justice has indicted a Chinese national for attempting to breach the security of several American aviation agencies in order to purloin software and code developed by NASA and other entities.

Song Wu, a 39-year-old engineer employed by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), faces charges encompassing 14 counts of wire fraud and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft. AVIC holds a prominent position as one of the world’s largest defense contractors, engaged in the manufacture of both civilian and military aircraft.

Over several years, Song Wu dispatched electronic missives to personnel at NASA, the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as representatives of research universities and aerospace companies. In these communications, Wu assumed the guise of a partner, scientist, or colleague of the intended victim, soliciting source codes or software with potential applications in both military and industrial domains, including aerodynamic design and weapons systems development.

Throughout this protracted campaign, Song Wu fabricated multiple fictitious accounts and successfully gained access to specialized software employed in aerospace engineering and fluid dynamics calculations.

This software possessed both military and civilian utility, with potential applications ranging from the development of tactical missiles to aerodynamic research on weaponry. However, the indictment does not specify the precise software that was pilfered or the current whereabouts of Song Wu. The perpetrator faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment for each count of fraud, in addition to a mandatory 2-year sentence for identity theft. The FBI and NASA are continuing their investigation into this matter.