Washington Post: China Hacked Sensitive U.S. Submarine Warfare Plans

The Washington Post reported, citing U.S. government officials, that Chinese state hackers compromised the computers of a contractor working with the U.S. Navy and stole a significant amount of sensitive information. The report states that a large volume of 'highly sensitive' data related to submarine warfare plans, including hypersonic anti-ship missile designs for use in U.S. submarines, was hacked. According to this report, the hackers targeted a contractor of the U.S. Navy's submarine warfare center located in Newport, Rhode Island. However, the name of this company was not mentioned in the Washington Post report. The report indicates that hackers stole information amounting to 614 gigabytes related to a project called 'Sea Dragon.' This data also includes information from the submarine's radio room and encryption systems. The Washington Post noted that the Navy informed them that releasing these details could jeopardize national security, and thus, they refrained from publishing it. U.S. government officials, quoted in the Washington Post but not named, stated that the cyberattacks by Chinese hackers occurred in January and February, and the Navy and FBI are currently investigating the matter. Reuters, which followed up on this report, reflected the comments of a U.S. Navy official who stated that under federal law, companies must notify the government as soon as they become aware of a cyberattack on their networks containing confidential information. However, he refrained from providing further details about the incident, stating that it is not yet the right time. Reuters also inquired about the views of Chinese embassy officials in the United States, who emphasized that they were unaware of the incident. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy also stated that the Chinese government has always sought to protect cybersecurity and is strongly opposed to any cyberattacks, taking measures against them.