What to Expect From Charges Against Chinese Hackers: Nothing

[Commentary] The US Department of Justice has secured criminal indictments against five active-duty members of the cyberwar unit of China’s People’s Liberation Army. Here’s what you should expect to happen as a result: Nothing meaningful.

The charges announced by Attorney General Eric Holder amount to the diplomatic equivalent of the pot criticizing the kettle’s wardrobe. The chance that anyone sees the inside of a US courtroom as a result of the charges is virtually nil. While the particulars are interesting -- and hopefully we’ll get to read more nitty-gritty details when the official indictment documents are unsealed -- the fundamental problem is one of credibility.

Essentially, when it comes to cyberattacks, the US has none. The revelations concerning the aggressive collection efforts of the US National Security Agency by its former contractor Edward Snowden have demonstrated there is very little in the global communications infrastructure that agency won’t touch in an attempt to compromise. And while Attorney General Holder and other US officials are quick to say that the US government doesn’t hack non-US companies in order to help US companies, there have been hints from Snowden that there are disclosures yet to be made that tell a different story.