Global hacking ring allegedly targeted US Army and computer game makers

Four members of an international hacking ring were charged with cracking the networks of the US Army and developers of blockbuster video wargames to steal software, prosecutors said.

Two of the men entered guilty pleas in the case, which centres on the "cybertheft" of at least US$100 million worth of software and data, the US Justice Department said on Tuesday.

The hackers are accused of breaking into programs used for the army's Apache helicopter pilot training, Microsoft's Xbox One consoles, and yet-to-be released video games Gears of War 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Those charged in the case teamed with others in the US and abroad to hack into networks of Microsoft, Epic Games, Valve Corporation, and the US army, according to the indictment.

"Members of this international hacking ring stole trade secret data used in hi-tech American products, ranging from software that trains US soldiers to fly Apache helicopters to Xbox games that entertain millions around the world," assistant attorney general Leslie Caldwell said.

An indictment returned in April and unsealed on Tuesday charged the four defendants with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, theft of trade secrets and other offences.