NASA Workers Tricked Into Sharing Sensitive Defense Software to Chinese Hackers

A Chinese national spent years impersonating U.S. researchers to trick NASA employees and government contractors into handing over sensitive defense software. The scheme violated export control laws and targeted aerospace technology used for weapons development.

NASA’s Office of Inspector General revealed Thursday how Song Wu, a 40-year-old engineer at China’s state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation, orchestrated a multi-year spear-phishing campaign from January 2017 to December 2021. NASA employees and research collaborators thought they were simply sharing software with colleagues. Instead, they were emailing sensitive defense technology to a Chinese national who was impersonating U.S. engineers.

The individual linked to the campaign was identified as Chinese national Song Wu in September 2024. The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against him for orchestrating the campaign that stretched over nearly five years. The scheme involved targeting dozens of U.S. professors, researchers and engineers. Some victims worked at NASA, the Air Force, the Navy, the Army and the Federal Aviation Administration. Others worked at major universities and private sector firms. The campaign was successful in a handful of cases where victims shared sensitive information with imposter accounts without realizing they violated U.S. export control laws.

Song and his co-conspirators conducted extensive research on their targets. They masqueraded as friends and colleagues to gain access to proprietary software and source code. The specialized software could be used for industrial and military applications including the development of advanced tactical missiles and aerodynamic design and assessment of weapons.

Song faces indictment on counts of wire fraud and 14 counts of aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud. He also faces a two-year consecutive sentence if convicted of aggravated identity theft. The 40-year-old remains at large. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation added Song to the U.S. Most Wanted List.

The FBI stated the specialized software could be used for industrial and military applications. This includes the development of advanced tactical missiles and aerodynamic design and assessment of weapons.

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