Trending Now - Hacker Claims Massive Data Breach of China's Supercomputing Center

WHO:

CNN - A hacker, identified as "FlamingChina," claims to have stolen data from China's National Supercomputing Center (NSCC).

CNN - The NSCC serves over 6,000 clients, including advanced science and defense agencies in China.

CNN - Dakota Cary, a consultant at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, reviewed the samples of the stolen data.

CNN - Marc Hofer, a cybersecurity researcher, also reviewed the sample of the leak.

WHAT:

CNN - The hacker claims to have stolen over 10 petabytes (PB) of data, including classified defense documents and missile schematics.

CNN - The dataset allegedly includes research across various fields such as aerospace engineering, military research, and bioinformatics.

CNN - The hacker is attempting to sell the stolen data, offering a limited preview for thousands of dollars and full access for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

CNN - The alleged dataset contains documents marked "secret" in Chinese, technical files, and animated simulations of defense equipment.

WHERE:

CNN - The data breach occurred at the National Supercomputing Center located in Tianjin, China.

CNN - The NSCC is a centralized hub providing infrastructure services across China.

WHEN:

CNN - The hacker posted a sample of the alleged dataset on an anonymous Telegram channel on February 6th, 2026.

CNN - The extraction of the data reportedly took around six months.

WHY:

CNN - The size of the dataset makes it attractive to adversarial state intelligence services, as they likely have the capacity to analyze the data effectively.

CNN - The breach highlights vulnerabilities in China's technology infrastructure, particularly in cybersecurity.

HOW:

CNN - The hacker claimed to have gained access to the NSCC through a compromised VPN domain.

CNN - The attacker used a "botnet" to extract, download, and store the data.

CNN - The extraction method involved distributing data across multiple servers to avoid detection, reducing the risk of triggering alerts.

(UPDATED April 8, 2026 21:13 UTC)

A hacker known as "FlamingChina" has claimed responsibility for stealing over 10 petabytes of data from China's National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin, which serves more than 6,000 clients, including defense agencies. The stolen dataset reportedly contains classified documents, missile schematics, and various research materials, and the hacker is attempting to sell this information, offering previews for thousands and full access for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cybersecurity experts Dakota Cary and Marc Hofer have reviewed samples of the leak, which highlights significant vulnerabilities in China's technology infrastructure and raises concerns about the potential interest from adversarial state intelligence services.