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US authorities have formally charged 12 individuals from China in connection with an alleged cybercrime operation, which purportedly involved selling information on US dissidents to the Chinese government.
This operation, characterized by the Justice Department (DOJ) as being state-sponsored, is said to have targeted multiple government organizations, including the Treasury Department. Additionally, a religious organization based in the U.S. and a newspaper in Hong Kong were reportedly part of the hackers’ agenda.
While the Chinese government has yet to respond specifically to these charges, it has consistently denied similar allegations in the past. In a related incident last December, the Treasury Department indicated that hackers linked to China had executed a significant breach, gaining access to both employee workstations and a number of unclassified documents. At that time, China dismissed the claims as “baseless” and reiterated its stance against all forms of hacking.
The timing of the DOJ’s latest charges remains unclear; however, they were made public in a federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday.
Details of the Charges
The individuals implicated include two officials associated with China’s Ministry of Public Security. According to the DOJ, the hackers appear to represent a private company named i-Soon, which allegedly charged between $10,000 and $75,000 to Chinese government agencies for each compromised email account. They are accused of conducting computer intrusions both upon the initiative of Chinese ministries and independently, receiving substantial payments in exchange for the stolen data.
“Today, we are revealing the Chinese government agents who are orchestrating indiscriminate and reckless assaults on computers and networks globally,” stated Sue J Bai, the head of the DOJ’s National Security Division. She further emphasized the commitment to dismantling this network of cyber mercenaries to safeguard national security.
Identifying the Targets
The DOJ’s statement did not disclose specific names of the US-based dissidents affected. However, the religious organization that fell victim to the hackers is known for its past missionary work in China and vocal criticism of the Chinese government. While the Hong Kong newspaper targeted was not named, the DOJ described it as being opposed to the policies of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
In addition to US institutions, the hacking group reportedly focused on the foreign ministries of several countries, including Taiwan, India, South Korea, and Indonesia. In a related context, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had previously indicated that cyberattacks against two major US presidential campaigns were linked to actors affiliated with the PRC. Furthermore, last year saw the indictment of seven Chinese nationals for a long-standing hacking endeavor that specifically targeted critics of the Chinese regime.
Chinese-linked cyber operations have also been linked to intrusions affecting the UK’s Electoral Commission and the parliaments of both the UK and New Zealand.
As part of an ongoing initiative to combat such cyber threats, the US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information related to i-Soon, its personnel, and Chinese officials implicated in the cyber activities detailed in the DOJ’s indictments.
Source
www.bbc.com