The US charges 12 contractual hackers, government employees with illicit cyber campaigns

WASHINGTON

The US accused 12 Chinese nationals on Wednesday, including two law enforcers, under accusations related to global hacking efforts.

The objectives included the Treasury Department and other American government agencies, as well as several Asian and critics of the Chinese Communist Party.

The treasury department acknowledged in December that he was compromised as part of a “major incident” in which documents were stolen.

Among those who face the accusations are two officers with the Ministry of Public Security (parliamentarians) who have used a private Chinese-Anxun Technology Co. private company. Ltd., or i-Soon-as coverage for their operations, according to inseciled judicial documents. Documents have identified individuals like Wang Liyu and Sheng Jing.

Other eight defendants on Wednesdays are associated with I-Soon, including CEO Wu Haibo, Coo Chen Cheng, Wang Zhe sales director and five technical employees.

It is assumed that the accused persons acted in accordance with the orders of the parliamentarians and the China State Security Ministry (MSS), which the justice department said, “paid nice for the stolen data”, because the agencies built what it called “Hacker-for-rented.” It was assumed that it included a network of private companies, such as I-Soon, and contractors from China, who were used to hack and steal data in a way that darkened the involvement of the CCP.

In some cases, companies would work in accordance with direct orders from Chinese authorities, while in others they act “speculatively”, carrying out hacking operations against victims and then trying to sell information stolen directly or indirectly to the Chinese Government, the justice department said in a statement.

If the Chinese authorities did not express their interest in information, companies and contractors would try to sell them to other third parties.

A separate case has charged two other Yin Kecheng and Zhou Shuai hackers, also known as “Coldface” with a hacking campaign for several years for profit. Internet domains associated with illicit effort have also been confiscated by American authorities. Yin and Zhou remain freedom.

The State Department has announced rewards of up to $ 2 million for information leading to their arrest and convictions.

“The Department of Justice will endlessly follow those who threaten the Cibersurita by stealing our government and our people,” said Sue Bai, head of the National Security Department of the Department of Justice, in a statement.

“Today, we exhibit Chinese government agencies that direct and encourage undiscriminated and reckless attacks against computers and networks around the world, as well as companies that allow individual hackers that have unleashed. We will continue to fight to dismantle this ecosystem of cyber mercenaries and to protect our national security, ”she added.

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