A suspected Chinese state-linked hacker accused of targeting Covid-19 research has been brought to the US after being extradited from Italy.34-year-old Xu Ziwei appeared in federal court in Houston after being transferred from Italy over the weekend.
According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), he faces a nine-count indictment related to computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021.Prosecutors allege that Xu was part of a state-backed hacking network linked to Chinese intelligence services. Court documents say he acted under the direction of officers from the Shanghai office of the Ministry of State Security, and targeted American universities and researchers during the height of the epidemic.
He gained access to sensitive email accounts of immunologists and virologists who work on vaccines, treatment and testing.Xu also played a role in the global cyber campaign known as HAFNIUM, which exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange servers. The operation led to the compromise of thousands of computers around the world, including more than 12,000 systems in the United States. The hackers allegedly installed tools that allowed them to maintain remote access and extract sensitive data, including information linked to US policymakers.
Shaw was arrested in Milan last year at the request of the American authorities. The Italian police described him as a “dangerous foreign hacker” before he was extradited after the approval of the Supreme Court. It was extradited with the support of Italian law enforcement agencies.In a separate post on“This case is a historic victory for our cybersecurity efforts under President Trump, bringing bad actors targeting American infrastructure to justice no matter where they try to hide,” he added.Shaw has been charged with crimes including wire fraud, computer hacking, and identity theft, charges that collectively carry long prison sentences if convicted. His co-conspirator, Zhang Yu, remains at large.