Chinese national accused by Feds of spear-phishing for NASA, military source code

Chinese national accused by Feds of spear-phishing for NASA, military source code

September 16, 2024 at 10:35PM

Chinese national, Song Wu, is accused of spear-phishing to steal sensitive software from US military and aerospace entities, including NASA. The indictment alleges that Song targeted individuals from government agencies, universities, and private companies. If convicted, Song faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and two years for each count of aggravated identity theft.

The meeting notes detail an alarming case of a Chinese national, Song Wu, alleged to have conducted a spear-phishing campaign targeting highly sensitive software used in aerospace engineering and military applications from entities such as the US Army and NASA. The accused, who remains at large, has been charged with numerous counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The phishing emails were designed to appear as though they were sent by the targets’ colleagues and associates, and sought specialized software related to aerospace engineering, computational fluid dynamics, and military applications.

The indictment revealed that Song allegedly targeted individuals working for the US government, major research universities, and private sector companies in the aerospace field. The phishing attempts were disturbingly successful, with some victims electronically transmitting the requested source code or software to Song, believing him to be a colleague, associate, or friend. If convicted, Song faces significant penalties, including up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and up to two years for each count of aggravated identity theft.

It is clear from these meeting notes that this situation poses a serious threat to national security and intellectual property protection. The information presented in the meeting notes should be handled with the utmost confidentiality and urgency in determining the appropriate course of action to address the situation.

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