Four Chinese soldiers were charged in the United States for breaking into the computers of credit card registration office Equifax. According to justice in Washington, they stole the personal data of tens of millions of Americans almost three years ago. It was one of the biggest hacks in history. Equifax is a company that assesses the creditworthiness of consumers.
In the summer of 2017, 145 million people were victims of the computer hack. Through a leak in the Equifax website, the perpetrators were able to retrieve names, birth dates, credit card details and personal numbers.
The four suspects work according to American justice for a research institute of the Chinese army. They are also accused of having stolen Equifax trade secrets.
Justice Barr said he holds the Chinese army responsible for their criminal actions: “We want to remind the Chinese government that we have the ability to eliminate the anonymity of the internet and track down the hackers who are regularly used against us “
The four hackers are not extradited by China to the US. Beijing has repeatedly contradicted allegations of hacking in the past. With the announcement, the American judiciary wants to make it clear to China that America understands what the Chinese are doing.
Dutch server
The indictment is the result of more than two years of investigation. After the criminals had gained access to the Equifax network, the data was downloaded to a Dutch server.
It is not the first time that Chinese soldiers have been on trial for hacking. In 2014, five members were charged by the Obama administration on suspicion of breaking into the networks of large American companies.
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