U.S. Takes Decisive Action Against Chinese Hackers Targeting Vital Information

U.S. charges seven Chinese hackers
Attempt to hack key national economic companies
What’s China’s Stance?

Seven Chinese men have been indicted in a federal court in the Eastern District of New York for hacking or attempting to hack the work and personal emails, online storage spaces, and phone call records of millions of Americans.

These hackers targeted certain critical sectors of U.S. infrastructure, including a defense company that produces flight simulators for the U.S. military.

According to the indictment, APT31 sent over 10,000 malicious emails to ‘key national economic’ entities, including federal government agencies, defense contractors, and congressional personnel. Clicking on these emails would lead to hidden links.

U.S. officials claim that the seven indicted Chinese individuals have been utilizing Chinese tech companies to conceal their hacking activities on behalf of China’s powerful Ministry of State Security.

The cybersecurity industry speculates that the hacking group may belong to either APT31 or Judgment Panda.

The British government previously disclosed that another Chinese hacker organization, distinct from APT31, was responsible for a cyberattack that exposed the information of 40 million national voters in 2021-2022.

In response, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, criticized the U.S., stating that the accusations against China were unfounded and lacked valid evidence.

Additionally, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the UK report, opposing nations’ politicization of cybersecurity.

Merrick Garland, the U.S. Attorney General, stated that the Department of Justice would not tolerate any attempts by the Chinese government to threaten American public servants, silence dissidents under U.S. law protection, or steal from American companies.