Chinese National Indicted for NASA Spear-Phishing Campaign

• •Chinese national Song Wu impersonated a U.S. researcher to target NASA employees.
• •The phishing campaign aimed to steal sensitive data related to defense software.
• •Wu has been indicted for previous phishing operations against U.S. professionals.

A spear-phishing campaign targeting NASA employees was conducted by Chinese national Song Wu, who impersonated a U.S. researcher to extract sensitive data related to defense software and exports. The campaign was reported by NASA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) and involved attempts to gain access to proprietary software. Wu, an engineer at the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China, had previously been indicted by the U.S. Justice Department for similar phishing activities that spanned from January 2017 to December 2021. The OIG noted that the sophistication of such phishing campaigns is increasing, with common indicators that can help identify scams. The investigation highlights ongoing concerns regarding state-sponsored cyber operations targeting U.S. agencies and personnel.