US charges PLA officers with cyber theft

The US Justice Department has charged five Chinese military officers with hacking, Financial Times reported, citing a Monday announcement by Eric Holder, the US attorney general. Holder alleged that a unit of the People’s Liberation Army in Shanghai had hacked into the computer systems of five US companies, including Alcoa (AA:NYSE) and US Steel (X:NYSE), and the United Steelworkers Union to steal trade secrets. It’s first time Washington has singled out a foreign government for such offenses or named individual hackers. Holder maintained that the US, unlike China, does not engage in espionage for commercial gain. China angrily denied the charges.