US charges 4 Chinese military officers over cyber attack

KATHMANDU: The US has charged four Chinese military officers over the huge cyber-attack on credit rating giant Equifax, BBC reported.

Over 147 million Americans were affected in 2017 when hackers stole sensitive personal data including names and addresses.

Attorney General William Barr announced the indictments, dubbing the hack “one of the largest data breaches in history”.

According to court documents, the four are allegedly members of the People’s Liberation Army’s 54th Research Institute, a component of the Chinese military.

They spent weeks in the company’s system, breaking into security networks and stealing personal data, according to the documents.

(With inputs from Agencies)