US Indicts Slew of Alleged Chinese Hackers

The United States has announced indictments against a group of alleged Chinese hackers, sanctioned a Chinese tech company, and offered a significant bounty for information leading to the capture of those responsible for a years-long spy campaign that stole sensitive information from victims across America and around the world.

A Spy Campaign Worthy of Hollywood

Federal officials accused 10 individuals of collaborating to steal data from their targets. Eight of the suspects worked for Anxun Information Technology, better known as i-Soon, a Chinese company that has been at the center of allegations of state-sponsored hacking. Two of the suspects were employed by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.

The indictment described i-Soon as "a key player in the PRC's hacker-for-hire ecosystem," suggesting that the company was instrumental in facilitating cyber attacks on behalf of the Chinese government. The targets included major organizations such as the US Defense Intelligence Agency, the US Department of Commerce, and foreign governments like Taiwan, South Korea, India, and Indonesia.

A Global Reach

The hackers also targeted news organizations critical of China, including several in the United States, as well as a New York State Assembly. Additionally, they infiltrated the email inboxes of individuals from various religious groups, including an unnamed "large religious organization" in the US.

A Profiteering Operation

The indictment revealed that i-Soon charged Chinese intelligence agencies between $10,000 and $75,000 to successfully hack into each email inbox. The company also offered additional payments for analyzing the stolen data.

A Global Convergence of Law Enforcement Efforts

Today, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against Shanghai Heiying Information Technology Company and its founder, Zhou Shuai, over allegations of stealing and selling sensitive data from "highly critical infrastructure networks" in the United States. At least some of this stolen data was later acquired by a previously sanctioned Chinese hacker named Yin Kecheng.

Zhou and Yin were also indicted as part of the overall operation. The sanctions are a significant development, demonstrating the growing convergence of international law enforcement efforts aimed at combating state-sponsored hacking and cybercrime.