Chinese Military Members Charged With 2017 Hacking of Equifax

U.S. prosecutors say that four members of the People’s Liberation Army were involved in the hacking, which exposed the sensitive data of more than 147 million people.

  • By Haley Samsel
  • Feb 12, 2020

A group of Chinese military hackers were charged by the Justice Department for breaking into the computer networks of Equifax in 2017, causing a security breach that exposed the sensitive financial information of more than 147 million people.

All four defendants named by the Justice Department are members of the People’s Liberation Army, a Chinese military branch, and are accused of stealing the credit-reporting agency’s “trade secrets,” according to The New York Times.

In a statement on Monday, Attorney General William Barr called the hack a “deliberate and sweeping intrusion into the private information of the American people.” Equifax faced heavy criticisms in the wake of the cyber attack, leading to a $700 million settlement.

“Today, we hold PLA hackers accountable for their criminal actions, and we remind the Chinese government that we have the capability to remove the Internet’s cloak of anonymity and find the hackers that nation repeatedly deploys against us,” Barr said.

The case is similar to a 2014 indictment by the Obama Justice Department against five members of the PLA, accusing the military members of hacking into American corporations in order to steal business secrets. In addition, China’s government has faced suspicion from U.S. intelligence in the cyber attacks on Marriott International and the 2015 attack on the Office of Personnel Management, according to the Times.

In the Equifax breach, the hacking group was able to gain access to critical computer systems by taking advantage of a software vulnerability, according to prosecutors. That vulnerability allowed the attackers to obtain log-in credentials and take over accounts to view databases. The hackers were skillful in breaching the servers without being caught, often wiping their log files.

None of the accused defendants are in U.S. custody, but law enforcement officials say the point is to show that they can identify specific hackers and trace attacks back to their true sources. Barr said that the actions by hackers working on behalf of the Chinese government represent a counterintelligence threat, particularly to Americans’ data and corporations’ sensitive information.

“This kind of attack on American industry is of a piece with other Chinese illegal acquisitions of sensitive personal data,” Barr said.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.