This week, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced criminal charges against a Chinese national, Song Wu, accused of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in an effort to obtain National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) computer software and source code.
The DOJ has now revealed that the specialized software allegedly stolen by Song could be used by potentially hostile enemies to attack the US. According to the DOJ, the stolen software could be used for “industrial and military applications, such as development of advanced tactical missiles and aerodynamic design and assessment of weapons.”
According to the indictment released by an Atlanta federal court, Song had been engaged in a “spear phishing” campaign for several years, sending fraudulent emails specifically targeting US government employees at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the US Air Force, Navy, and Army plus the Federal Aviation Administration.
Song, alongside unknown collaborators, is alleged to have created fake email accounts in order to impersonate victims’ colleagues or associates, sending emails requesting access to proprietary aerospace engineering software and data. In some cases, the victims fell for the fraudulent emails and subsequently sent the software or source code to Song.
Song employed as Chinese aerospace engineer
Song conducted this campaign while employed as an engineer under the Chinese state-owned aerospace and defense conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), one of the largest defense contractors in the world, producing civilian and military aircraft.
Song is still at large, but faces 20 years in prison per count of wire fraud if he is arrested and convicted. Song is currently being charged with 14 counts of wire fraud and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft.
A federal grand jury has also returned a seven-count indictment charging Denis Postovoy, a Russian citizen living in the United States, with conspiring to commit smuggling, money laundering, and defrauding the US. Postovoy was allegedly engaged in the procurement and illicit export of US microelectronics that can be used in a variety of civil and military applications, including unmanned aerial vehicles, since at least February 2022. The microelectronic components are believed to have been smuggled from Hong Kong to Russia.
