Justice Department Charges Seven Chinese Nationals in Hacking Scheme
The Justice Department has announced charges against seven Chinese nationals with ties to a state-sponsored group in a hacking scheme. The individuals are accused of targeting U.S. businesses, political officials, candidates, and campaign staff to further the Chinese government's "economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives."
The indictment alleges that the seven individuals, part of a "group of malicious cyber actors," conspired to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud for their involvement in the hacking group's activities. Some of these activities led to the successful compromise of email accounts and phone records.
"This case underscores the extent to which the Chinese government will go to target and silence its critics, including engaging in malicious cyber operations that threaten the national security of the United States and our allies," stated Attorney General Merrick Garland.
One aspect of the alleged hacking scheme involved sending emails to the targeted individuals and businesses. These emails appeared to be from news outlets or journalists and contained hidden phishing links that directed recipients to a server controlled by the hackers.
Reports reveal that a sophisticated hacking operation targeted individuals working at the White House and federal agencies, as well as members of Congress from both political parties and their spouses. Campaign staff from both parties were also among the targets leading up to the 2020 election.
"Over 10,000 malicious emails, impacting thousands of victims, across multiple continents," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco stated in a release. "As detailed in the indictment, this extensive global hacking operation —supported by the PRC government— focused on journalists, political figures, and businesses to suppress critics of the Chinese government, compromise government entities, and steal proprietary information."
Earlier today, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the hacking group, identified as APT31, alleging it to be linked to Beijing's primary intelligence agency. Concurrently, the UK administration accused Chinese nationals of engaging in a hacking scheme in 2021, targeting personal information of voters.
