Data stolen from US navy contractor by Chinese hackers

The FBI is looking into the hacking incident that led to highly sensitive data being stolen from one of the US Navy contractors. The data breach could have given access to plans regarding a supersonic missile project. The data essentially included US plans in submarine warfare. The contractor targeted by the hackers conducts research and development for the US military specifically in the fields of underwater weaponry and submarines. It is based in Newport, Rhode Island. Recently, a former US intelligence officer was caught giving secret information to a Chinese agent. The intelligence office, Kevin Mallory, faces a maximum of life imprisonment under the Espionage Act.  

The data stolen included a project known as Sea Dragon and information on navy's electronic warfare library. The Sea Dragon project was based on an anti-ship missile system to be incorporated into US submarines by 2020. The US Navy and the FBI are collaborating to get to the bottom of the hacking incident. The data stored on the contractor's system was sensitive but unclassified and under the agreement, contractors have to notify the US Navy as soon as a cybersecurity breach occurs. Jim Mattis, US Secretary of Defense, ordered an investigation into the cybersecurity issues grappling the contractor. Approximately 614 gigabytes of data pertaining to cryptographic and signals and sensors systems was stolen in the breach. Such a move by China comes at a point when the US needs Chinese support to persuade North Korea in abandoning its nuclear program. The United States sees such hacking efforts as an endeavor by Chinese to secure dominance in East Asia. US Navy representatives have declined to further discuss the matter as it can be a threat to the national security.