Twelve Chinese nationals, including two officers from the Ministry of Public Security, have been indicted for hacking attacks, notably breaching the US Treasury in 2024. The Justice Department reported that these individuals targeted Chinese dissidents, international foreign ministries, and US government agencies from 2016 to 2023. The indicted individuals included employees from i-Soon, a Chinese company allegedly paid by security ministries for hacking services. Additionally, two members of the hacker group “APT 27,” linked to a previous Treasury breach, were also indicted. The US is offering rewards up to $10 million for information leading to arrests.
Washington:
On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced that twelve Chinese nationals, including two officers from the public security ministry, have been charged for carrying out a series of hacking attacks, including a breach of the US Treasury in 2024.
Other reported victims include Chinese dissidents based in the US, several Asian countries’ foreign ministries, religious organizations, and various federal and state government agencies in the US, according to the department.
In New York, eight employees from a Chinese company named Anxun Information Technology Co. Ltd, also known as i-Soon, along with two Ministry of Public Security officials, were indicted for their roles in the alleged hacking of email accounts, cell phones, servers, and websites from 2016 to 2023.
“For years, these ten defendants — two of whom we allege are officials of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) — have employed advanced hacking techniques to target religious organizations, journalists, and government agencies, all in an effort to gather sensitive information for the PRC,” acting US attorney Matthew Podolsky stated.
The Justice Department indicated that in some instances, the private Chinese hackers were compensated by the ministries of public security and state security for targeting specific victims.
“In many other instances, the hackers speculatively targeted victims,” the department noted, identifying vulnerable computers and subsequently selling the retrieved information to the Chinese government.
According to the Justice Department, i-Soon charged between $10,000 and $75,000 to the ministries of public and state security for each email inbox they successfully hacked.
All ten defendants are currently at large, and the State Department has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information that leads to their capture.
The hacking victims allegedly included a missionary organization, a group advocating for human rights and religious freedom in China, a Hong Kong newspaper, and the foreign ministries of Taiwan, India, South Korea, and Indonesia.
– ‘Silk Typhoon’ –
A separate indictment has also been unsealed in Washington against Yin Kecheng and Zhou Shuai, who are alleged members of the hacker group “APT 27,” known as “Silk Typhoon.”
The Justice Department reported that “Yin, Zhou, and their co-conspirators exploited vulnerabilities in victim networks, conducted reconnaissance once they gained entry, and installed malware such as PlugX, allowing for ongoing access.”
Their targets have included US-based technology firms, think tanks, law firms, defense contractors, local governments, health care systems, and educational institutions.
In January, the United States imposed sanctions on Yin for alleged involvement in last year’s hack of the Treasury Department.
According to US media sources, then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other senior Treasury officials were among those targeted.
The State Department has announced a $2 million reward for information leading to the arrests of Yin and Zhou, who are believed to be in China.
Numerous countries, particularly the United States, have expressed concerns over what they describe as Chinese government-supported hacking targeting their governmental, military, and business operations.
Beijing denies these allegations and has previously stated its opposition to and efforts to combat cyberattacks.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)