Chinese hackers have access to major US weapons designs, report says
Pentagon report accuses Beijing as it is fingered for cybertheft of Australian spy HQ blueprints
Chinese hackers have gained access to designs of more than two dozen major United States weapons systems, a US report says. And Australian media said Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints for Australia's new spy headquarters.
Citing a report prepared for the US Defence Department by the Defence Science Board, The Washington Post said the compromised US designs included those for combat aircraft and ships, as well as missile defences vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf.
Among the weapons listed in the report were the advanced Patriot missile system, the Navy's Aegis ballistic missile defence systems, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey, the Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The report did not specify the extent or time of the cyberthefts or indicate if they involved computer networks of the American government, contractors or subcontractors.
China dismissed the report as groundless.