Chicom hackers charged in massive breach of US data

Politico:

Federal prosecutors have charged two Chinese nationals for hacking Anthem and three other U.S. businesses as part of what the Justice Department called “an extremely sophisticated hacking group.”

An indictment unsealed Thursday charges Fujie Wang and an unnamed co-conspirator with four counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and intentional damage to a protected computer, in connection with the intrusions.

The Anthem hack, disclosed in February 2015, compromised the sensitive personal data of approximately 78.8 million Americans.

Wang and the other Chinese hackers “used extremely sophisticated techniques” like customized spearphishing emails and backdoor malware to breach their targets, prosecutors alleged. After penetrating corporate servers, the indictment says, the hackers used lateral movement and privilege escalation to access more and more data.

“Defendants sometimes patiently waited months before taking further action, quietly maintaining access to the Victim’s network,” according to the indictment.
...

This is a good deal if they can get their hands on the Chinese nationals to get them into court. This was one of the biggest cyber attacks in history that compromised data on millions of people connected to the government.