FBI ARRESTS CHINESE CYBER HACKER

0:00 A Chinese national thirty three years of age, has been taken into CUSSY for his alleged involvement in US computer intrusions. Between February twenty twenty and June twenty twenty one, Chinese Ministry of State Security allegedly directed the theft of COVID nineteen Research and confidential information authorities took Public People's Republic of China national zeus Way into custody in Milan as he departed playing from China at the requests of the US.

0:27 Zoo is charged with charge along with PRC national Zang Yu, who is now unsealed in nine on account indictment returned in November twenty twenty three. They were both involved in computer intrusions. The charges alleged MSS, which is Ministry of State Security, and Shanghai State Security Bureau, which are PRC intelligence services responsible for prtc's domestic counter intelligence and aspects of the PRC's political and domestic security. When conducting the computer intrusions, Zoo worked for Shanghai Power Rock Network, one of many enabling companies in the PRC that conducted hacking for the PRC government. The indictment alleges at Zoo was hacking and stealing crucial COVID nineteen research at the behests

1:09 of the Chinese government, while the same government was simultaneously with holding information about the virus and its origins. The arrests underscores in the United States commitment to pursuing hackers. As the Assistant Attorney General, according to CORE documents, in early twenty twenties, U and his co conspirators hacked and otherwise targeted US based universities and leading immunologists and virologists, and conducting groundbreaking research into COVID nineteen vaccines, treatment, and testing.

1:36 The charges alleged Zu and others reported their activities to officers in the Triple SB who were supervising and directing the hacking activities. For example, in February nine, twenty twenties, you allegedly provided an SSB officer with confirmation they had compromised the network of a research university located in Southern District of Texas. The officer directed you to target access specific email accounts belonging to virologists and theologists engage in COVID nineteen research. Beginning in late twenty twenty, Zu and his co conspirators exploited certain vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server and widely used Microsoft product for sending, receiving, and storing email messages. Their exploitation of it was allegedly at the

2:15 forefront of a massive campaign targeting thousands of computers worldwide, known publicly as Halfnium. In March twenty twenty one, Microsoft publicly disclosed the intrusion campaign by state sponsored hackers operating out of China. The United States and foreign partners attributed the halfnium campaign to the PRC, which they in private sector cybersecurity leaders condemned as indiscriminate and reckless. The charges alleged victims of Zoo's exploitation of the server where a university located in Southern District of Texas in a law firm with offices worldwide, including in Washington, d C. After exploiting computers running the Microsoft Exchange Server, Zoo and his co conspirators allegedly installed webshells on them to enable their

2:58 remote administration. These webs were specific to half of them actors at the time, as with the earlier COVID nineteen research intrusions, an example again in January of twenty twenty one, Zoo confirmed his zaying that he had compromised the university's network. According to the charges, an officer then directors due to obtain a list of other successful intrusions. The charges alleged unauthorized access to the law firms network, which allowed Zoo and co conspirats to steal information from mailboxes. So it was a big operation and you can read all about it the Justice dout gov website. But credible