Chinese national arrested in LA on hacking charge relating to security clearance data theft

A Chinese national traveling in Los Angeles was arrested on charges he was part of a hacking conspiracy related to the theft of security clearance records on millions of American government employees, U.S. authorities said on Thursday.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) building in Washington, DC. A Chinese national has been arrested in relation to a hack of the OPM. Source: EPA

Yu Pingan was arrested August 21 at Los Angeles International Airport after a federal criminal complaint accused him of conspiring with others using malicious software known as Sakula, a Justice Department spokesman said.

The software was previously identified as being used in massive breaches at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in June or July 2014, though it wasn't discovered until June 2015.

The stolen OPM data included Social Security numbers and other sensitive information on 21.5 million people who had undergone background checks for security clearances.

Reuters reported that the OPM hack does not seem to have been carried out by the arm of the Chinese government hacking operation that conducts its cyberattacks for trade secrets or defense details.