The U.S. government has charged 12 Chinese nationals, including mercenary hackers, law enforcement officers, and employees of a private hacking company, with global cybercrime campaigns targeting dissidents, news organizations, U.S. agencies, and universities.

A set of criminal cases filed in New York and Washington adds new detail to what U.S. officials say is a booming hacking-for-hire ecosystem in China, in which private companies and contractors are paid by the Chinese government to target victims of particular interest to Beijing in an arrangement meant to provide Chinese state security forces cover and deniability.

Background on I-Soon's Activities

The indictment charges eight leaders and employees of a private hacking company known as I-Soon with conducting a sweeping array of computer breaches around the world meant to suppress speech, locate dissidents, and steal data from victims.

Among those charged is Wu Haibo, who founded I-Soon in Shanghai in 2010 and was a member of China's first hacktivist group, Green Army. He is accused in the indictment of overseeing and directing hacking operations.

Earlier AP reporting on leaked documents from I-Soon mainly showed I-Soon targeting a wide range of governments such as India, Taiwan, or Mongolia, but little on the United States.

The indictment contains new revelations about I-Soon's activities targeting a wide range of Chinese dissidents, religious organizations, and media outlets based in the U.S., including a newspaper identified as publishing news related to China and opposed to the Chinese Communist Party.

Additional Targets of I-Soon's Hacking Campaigns

The intended targets were in some cases directed by China's Ministry of Public Security. Two law enforcement officers were also charged with tasking certain assignments. In other instances, the hackers acted at their own initiative and tried to sell the stolen information to the government.

I-Soon charged the Chinese government the equivalent of between approximately $10,000 and $75,000 for each email inbox it successfully hacked, officials said.

Reactions from the Chinese Embassy in Washington

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington suggested that the allegations were a "smear" and said, "We hope that relevant parties will adopt a professional and responsible attitude and base their characterization of cyber incidents on sufficient evidence rather than groundless speculation and accusations."

Separate Indictment Charges Two Other Chinese Hackers

A separate indictment charges two other Chinese hackers, identified as Yin Kecheng and Zhou Shuai, with a for-profit hacking campaign targeting victims including U.S. technology companies, think tanks, defense contractors, and healthcare systems.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions Wednesday in connection with that case, and the State Department announced a reward of up to $2 million for information leading to the arrest of both men.

Private Hacking Contractors: A Growing Concern for Chinese State Security

The indictment highlights the vast network of private hacking contractors in China that have infiltrated hundreds of systems outside China over the past two decades. This is part of a growing concern about the use of cyber espionage by Chinese state security.

Associated Press writer Dake Kang in Beijing contributed to this report.