China secretly hacked a US Navy contractor and got hold of its weapons plans: Report

China hacked a US Navy contractor and got hold of secret information on the Navy's weapons plans as well as other sensitive information about military technology, reports said on Friday.

The hack attack resulted in the Chinese government stealing over 600 gigabytes of data about US Navy's missile project. The revelation of the cyber attack,comes days before President Trump attends a summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who counts Beijing among his allies.

The attack targeted the contractor's unclassified network.

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Among the stolen data planned for a supersonic anti-ship missile that was planned to be on US submarines by 2020.

The breaches took place in January and February, the officials told the Post, speaking on condition of anonymity about an ongoing investigation led by the Navy and assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

"Per federal regulations, there are measures in place that require companies to notify the government when a 'cyber incident' has occurred that has actual or potential adverse effects on their networks that contain controlled unclassified information. It would be inappropriate to discuss further details at this time," the USNavy said in response to a query from Reuters.

The Chinese Embassy apparently does not know about the hacking, adding that the Chinese government "staunchly upholds cybersecurity, firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks in accordance with law."

The hacked material comprised 614 gigabytes relating to a project known as Sea Dragon, as well as signals and sensor data, submarine radio room information relating to cryptographic systems and the Navy submarine development unit’s electronic warfare library, the Post reported.

Reports of the hack come as tensions between Beijing and Washington continue to rise over a range of issues including trade and military matters.