The person at the center of this case
Equifax and approximately 145 million American citizens whose personal data was stolen
Cold Case · Open
6 years waiting · since 2020
CHINESE PLA MEMBERS, 54th RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Justice for Equifax and approximately 145 million American citizens whose personal data was stolen — the trail went cold in 2020, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1Four named PLA members: Wang Qian, Xu Ke, Liu Lei, and Wu Zhiyong—have they been apprehended or remain at large?
🔍
evidence
Lead #2How did the PLA hackers maintain persistent unauthorized access to Equifax systems for over two months without detection?
💡
clue
Lead #3What specific vulnerabilities in Equifax's security infrastructure were exploited, and have they been remediated?
On January 28, 2020, a federal grand jury in Georgia indicted four members of China's People's Liberation Army 54th Research Institute for hacking into Equifax's computer systems between May and July 2017. The breach compromised sensitive personal information—including names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers—for approximately 145 million American citizens, plus millions more from the UK and Canada. The case remains significant as one of the largest data thefts in history, raising ongoing questions about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and state-sponsored espionage.
Case
#862
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia
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More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
📞
contact
Lead #4Were there any intermediaries or accomplices outside the 54th Research Institute involved in planning or executing the breach?
⏰
timeline
Lead #5Why was there a two-month gap between the breach (May-July 2017) and the indictment (January 2020)—what investigation milestones occurred during this period?
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Official wording
Source Narrative
Computer Fraud; Economic Espionage; Wire Fraud; Conspiracy to Commit Computer Fraud; Conspiracy to Commit Economic Espionage; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud Caution: On January 28, 2020, a Grand Jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned an indictment charging Wang Qian, Xu Ke, Liu Lei, and Wu Zhiyong, with Computer Fraud, Economic Espionage, Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Computer Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Economic Espionage, and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. The defendants were members of the 54th Research Institute, which was a component of the People’s Liberation Army (“PLA”), the armed forces of the People’s Republic of China.
As alleged in the indictment, beginning at least by on or about May 13, 2017, and continuing through on or about July 30, 2017, members of the 54th Research Institute conspired with each other to hack into the protected computers of Equifax, to maintain unauthorized access to those computers, and to steal sensitive personally identifiable information, proprietary database schemas, and data compilations. The PLA hackers obtained names, birth dates, and social security numbers for approximately 145 million American citizens, in addition to driver’s license numbers for at least 10 million Americans stored in Equifax’s databases.
The hackers also collected credit card numbers and other personally identifiable information belonging to approximately 200,000 American consumers. In a single breach, the PLA obtained sensitive identifying information for nearly half of all American citizens, and personally identifiable information belonging to nearly a million citizens of the United Kingdom and Canada.
Timeline of Events
📋
2017-05-13
Breach begins
PLA 54th Research Institute begins hacking Equifax protected computers
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2017-07-30
Breach concludes
Unauthorized access and data theft operations end
🕵️
2020-01-28
Indictment returned
Grand Jury in Northern District of Georgia indicts Wang Qian, Xu Ke, Liu Lei, and Wu Zhiyong on charges of computer fraud, economic espionage, and wire fraud
Key Locations
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Case Information
Incident:May 13, 2017
Last Updated:June 14, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:May 13, 2017
Last Updated:June 14, 2026