Hacker stole 10 petabytes of military research data from Chinese supercomputer

A hacker reportedly infiltrated one of China’s top supercomputers and stole up to 10 petabytes of sensitive intellectual property related to military research and missile development.

 

The vast repository of Chinese military secrets, research projects and missile development programmes was reportedly stolen from the National Supercomputing Center of Tianjin, a state-of-the-art supercomputing facility established at the National Defense Science and Technology University in Tianjin, China, in 2009.

 

The supercomputing facility was established with the primary purpose of conducting high-performance applied research and development activities and to enhance the quality of technological innovation. In 2010, it ranked first on the global TOP500 list of supercomputers.

 

According to CNN which spoke to cyber security experts focussed on developments in China, the hacker infiltrated the supercomputer through a compromised VPN domain and deployed a botnet to extract, download and store the vast repository over a six month period. 

 

A sample of the stolen 10-terabyte dataset was posted on Telegram in February by an account calling itself FlamingChina. The account offered a limited preview of the dataset for thousands of dollars, offering buyers access to "research across various fields including aerospace engineering, military research, bioinformatics, fusion simulation and more." 

 

The hacker group is also offering the complete dataset for 10 XMR (Monero cryptocurrency) which is equavalent to £2,500.

 

The hacker group claimed that the dataset contained information associated with the National University of Defense Technology, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the Northwestern Polytechnical University, the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China.

 

CNN learned that the dataset contained vast samples of design schematics associated with weapons testing, technical files, animated simulations and rendering of bombs and missiles. The information could be useful for adversaries not only to learn about Chinese military advancements and research capabilities but also to develop weapons and systems to match or defeat Chinese military assets.

 

It is unclear whether the dataset is still available to purchase or if it has already been sold to multiple bidders.