Italian authorities have extradited a suspected Chinese hacker to the United States, where he is accused of stealing vaccine research during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The suspect, Xu Zewei, was arrested in Milan last July and handed over to the US as a “dangerous foreign hacker,” according to a statement from the Italian National Police on Monday.

Xu, 34, allegedly worked for Shanghai-based company Powerock Network under the direction of China’s Ministry of State Security. He and his co-conspirators are said to have exploited email software vulnerabilities to target thousands of computers in a Chinese state-sponsored cyber-espionage campaign dubbed “Hafnium.” The US Department of Justice claims Xu targeted universities, immunologists, and virologists, including a university in southern Texas and a law firm with offices in Washington, DC.

Xu appeared in US District Court in Houston, Texas, on Monday to face nine criminal counts, including wire fraud and conspiracy to obtain information by unauthorized access to protected computers. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the most serious charges.

“The United States is committed to pursuing hackers who steal information from US businesses and universities and threaten our cybersecurity,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg in a statement. He commended prosecutors and investigators for their work over years.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has previously denied conducting hacking operations, dismissing such claims as “groundless accusations.” Xu’s lawyers in Italy and the US also did not respond to requests for comment.

Source: www.aljazeera.com