Targeted Covid-19 research: Chinese state-sponsored hacker arrested by FBI after extradition from Italy

An alleged hacker with ties to the Chinese government accused of targeting Covid-19 research has been brought to the United States after being extradited from Italy.Xu Zewei, 34, was transferred from Italy to federal court in Houston over the weekend. He faces nine charges related to computer intrusions conducted between February 2020 and June 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).Prosecutors accuse Xu of being part of a network of state-sponsored hackers with ties to Chinese intelligence services. Court documents allege that he acted at the direction of officials from the Ministry of National Security’s Shanghai Bureau to target U.S. universities and researchers during the height of the epidemic. He accessed sensitive email accounts of immunologists and virologists working on vaccines, treatments and testing.Xu also played a role in a global cyber campaign called HAFNIUM, which exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange servers. The operation compromised 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 relevant to U.S. policymakers.Xu was arrested in Milan last year at the request of U.S. authorities. Italian police described him as a “dangerous foreign hacker” before handing him over with approval from the Supreme Court. His extradition was carried out with the support of Italian law enforcement agencies.Kash Patel said in another post on“This case is a historic victory for our cybersecurity efforts under President Trump, bringing bad actors who target America’s infrastructure to justice, no matter where they try to hide,” he added.Xu was charged with wire fraud, computer intrusion and identity theft, and will receive a heavy prison sentence if convicted. His accomplice Zhang Yu is still at large.