Justice Dept. to announce charges for Chinese government-linked 'computer intrusion campaign'

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The Justice Department plans to announce Wednesday charges involving a “computer intrusion campaign” tied to the Chinese government.

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich and other officials will take part in a news conference at 11 a.m. ET to make the announcement, a DOJ statement obtained by Reuters said. 

Last month, White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said that Chinese government-linked hackers have been targeting U.S. election infrastructure before the November election. China has denied claims that it hacked U.S. government agencies.

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In July, U.S. security officials tracking Chinese hacking revealed that hackers backed by the Chinese government attempted to steal coronavirus vaccination data from U.S.-based biotech company, Moderna Inc.

China pushed back on this accusation and said, “Such allegations are pure slander.”

The week before, the DOJ indicted two Chinese nationals working for Chinese intelligence agency the Ministry of State Security (MSS) for alleged hacking U.S. and international systems.

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“The hackers stole terabytes of data which comprised a sophisticated and prolific threat to U.S. networks,” the DOJ said in a statement on July 21.

“The defendants probed for vulnerabilities in computer networks of companies developing COVID-19 vaccines, testing technology, and treatments," the DOJ added.

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According to the FBI, the hackers targeted vulnerabilities, placed malicious “web shell programs” and credential-stealing software that allowed them to access victims' computers remotely.

Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.