Italy Extradites Suspected Chinese Hacker to United States
Last update: April 27, 2026
Disclaimer: This website may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. We only recommend products or services that we personally use and believe will add value to our readers. Your support is appreciated!
The man who was not named has been accused of working for the Chinese government....
Italy has extradited to the United States a Chinese national accused of carrying out cyber espionage on behalf of Beijing during the COVID-19 pandemic, police said on Monday.
The suspect was arrested at Milan’s Malpensa Airport last July and is believed to have acted for the Chinese government, according to a police statement.
He is accused of targeting U.S. government agencies, research institutes and universities involved in vaccine development in 2020 and 2021, at the height of the pandemic.
Authorities did not name the man but said he was a former head of a major technology company based in Shanghai.
He is alleged to have been part of a hacking group known as “Hafnium”, which was blamed for breaching tens of thousands of Microsoft Exchange email servers in 2021.
At the time, Microsoft described the group as a “highly skilled and sophisticated actor”.
Italian police said the arrest was carried out on the basis of a warrant issued in Texas, citing close cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as key to the operation’s success.
