The criminal complaint, dated June 27 and made public last week, describes in some detail how the alleged conspirators patiently observed Boeing and its computer network for a year, and then breached the contractor's systems to steal intellectual property on the C-17 military transport. It also casts light on the free-enterprise nature of cyber-snooping, as the co-conspirators allegedly exchanged e-mails about profiting from their enterprise.
U.S. authorities accuse Su Bin, a Chinese businessman residing in Canada, of helping direct two other Chinese nationals in cyberattacks to obtain information about the C-17 and other military projects. The complaint says that Su, who was arrested last month in Canada, and two-unnamed co-conspirators, identified as UC1 and UC2, targeted information related to parts and performance of the C-17 transport and Lockheed Martin's F-22 and F-35 fighter jets. Su, who was arrested last month, is in jail in Canada, awaiting a bail hearing.
The initial attacks against Boeing occurred between Jan 14 and March 20, 2010, and for part of that time Su was in the United States, FBI Special Agent Noel Neeman says in the complaint. The documents do not describe how the information about the Lockheed Martin jet fighters were obtained.
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