Cybersecurity
Chinese Hackers Force Penn State to Unplug Engineering Computers
The Old Main building on the campus of Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania.
Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Penn State University, which develops sensitive technology for the U.S. Navy, disclosed Friday that Chinese hackers have been sifting through the computers of its engineering school for more than two years.
One of the country’s largest and most productive research universities, Penn State offers a potential treasure trove of technology that’s already being developed with partners for commercial applications. The breach suggests that foreign spies could be using universities as a backdoor to U.S. commercial and defense secrets.