Alleged Chinese Hacker Who Stole COVID-19 Research Nabbed in Italy

In a rarity, the US has reportedly nabbed a suspected Chinese state-sponsored hacker, who stole confidential data, including COVID-19 vaccine research. 

Law enforcement in Italy arrested 33-year-old Zewei Xu after he arrived in the country through the Milan airport, according to the Italian news agency ANSA. Xu is a member of a Chinese state-sponsored hacking outfit called Hafnium, also known as Silk Typhoon, according to government documents cited by ANSA. Allegedly, Xu helped orchestrate a cyberespionage campaign that targeted thousands of computers. 

If the allegations are true, the arrest would be a rare case of the US successfully apprehending a state-sponsored Chinese hacker. While the Justice Department has charged suspected Chinese cyberspies before, those efforts have largely amounted to name-and-shame campaigns since China refuses to extradite suspected cyber criminals.

But it looks like the FBI spotted an opportunity to nab one such suspected Chinese hacker. According to ANSA, the US embassy in Italy notified Italian authorities that Xu was heading to Milan via a flight from Shanghai.  

The FBI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But in 2020, the agency warned that Chinese state-sponsored hackers were attempting to infiltrate US health groups focused on COVID-19 research. “These actors have been observed attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual property (IP) and public health data related to vaccines, treatments, and testing from networks and personnel affiliated with COVID-19-related research,” the FBI’s alert said. “The potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective, and efficient treatment options.”

Federal investigations have requested that Xu be extradited to the US. However, Xu’s family claims that he’s simply a technician for an IT company called Shanghai GTA Semiconductor Ltd.

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About Michael Kan

Senior Reporter

I’ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

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