The headquarters of the Justice Department in Washington is presented on May 14, 2013 in Washington, D.C.(Photo: J. David Ake, AP)

WASHINGTON – Ten Chinese intelligence officers and computer hackers have been accused of stealing aircraft engine technology from French and American companies, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday.

The alleged project took place from January 2010 to May 2015 and targeted a dual flow engine developed through a partnership between an unidentified French manufacturer and US companies. The alleged crime coincided with a Chinese public company seeking to develop a comparable engine, the department said.

The conspirators allegedly hacked the French manufacturer, who had an office in Suzhou, China. Hackers also entered unnamed American companies that manufactured engine parts based in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Oregon. The goal was to steal intellectual data and confidential business information about the engine, the department said.

"This action is another example of the criminal efforts made by (the Chinese Ministry of State Security) to facilitate the theft of private data for commercial purposes by China," said the US attorney Adam Braverman. "Concerted efforts to steal, rather than just buy, commercially available products should shock all companies that invest talent, energy and shareholder money in product development."

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The intelligence officers accused, Zha Rong and Chai Meng, worked for the Jiangsu Province State Security Ministry, which is headquartered in Nanjing and is a provincial branch of the Ministry of State Security. of the government. Rong was a division director who oversaw theft of intellectual property and Meng was a section chief, according to the 21-page indictment.

The defendants included suspected pirates: Zhang Zhang-Gui, Liu Chunliang, Gao Hong Kun, Zhuang Xiaowei, and Ma Zhiqi. Unknowns from French society: Gu Gen and Tian Xi have also been indicted.

Zhang Zhang-Gui was also charged with Li Xiao, another hacker, in a separate conspiracy in which they claimed to have been introduced to a San Diego-based technology company.

The accusations followed October 10 announcement that a Chinese intelligence officer had been extradited to Ohio on charges of attempting to steal trade secrets relating to aircraft engines. And on September 25, an Illinois grand jury indicted Ji Chaoqun, a US Army recruit, accused of working as a Chinese intelligence agent.

"The threat posed by the Chinese government-sponsored piracy activities is real and unrelenting," said John Brown, FBI Special Agent in charge of the San Diego office. "We are working together to conduct a vigorous investigation and hold hackers accountable, regardless of their attempts to conceal their illegal activities and identities."

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Hackers have used a variety of techniques, including spear phishing, to sow various strains of malware in corporate computer systems, using the websites of corporate victims to compromise visitors' computers and hack domains by compromising security. domain registries, depending on the department.

The first suspected hacking began on January 8, 2010 with the infiltration of Capstone Turbine, a Los Angeles-based gas turbine manufacturer, with the purpose of stealing data and using the company's website to compromise its reputation. 'others, said the department.

Chinese intelligence has also repeatedly tried to hack a San Diego-based technology company from August 2012 to January 2014 to similarly steal business information and use its website to compromise third parties.

From November 2013 to February 2014, Chinese nationals working for the leadership of intelligence agencies Tian Xi and Gu Gen worked for the French company and reportedly infected its computers with malicious software, the department said.

The hacking attempts continued at least until May 2015, by which time an Oregon-based company, which was manufacturing parts for the dual flow engine, identified and removed the conspiracy malware program. of its computer systems, announced the department.

"It's only the beginning," said John Demers, Deputy Attorney General for National Security. "With our federal partners, we will redouble our efforts to preserve America's ingenuity and investments."

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