Reactor designer Westinghouse was among the companies listed as a victim of Chinese state-sponsored hacking in a first-of-its-kind indictment announced Monday.
A grand jury in Pennsylvania indicted five military hackers, alleging they conspired to steal trade secrets from six American organizations between 2006 and 2014. In a prepared statement, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said, “This is a case alleging economic espionage by members of the Chinese military and represents the first-ever charges against a state actor for this type of hacking.”
In a release, the Department of Justice alleged a defendant within a unit of the Chinese Army stole proprietary technical and design specifications for pipes, pipe supports and pipe routing within Westinghouse's AP1000 reactor in 2010. At the time, Westinghouse was building four AP1000s in China and was negotiating construction terms and technology transfers with a Chinese state-owned company. The indictment also alleges that a hacker acquired emails from Westinghouse executives related to discussions on further business with the state-owned company.
In addition to the units nearing completion at Sanmen and Haiyang, China has selected the AP1000 for several other sites in its ambitious nuclear construction program. China's domestic CAP1000 reactor is also adapted from the AP1000 design.