The Justice Department unsealed an indictment on Monday, alleging that seven Chinese nationals, operating under the guise of a Wuhan tech company, orchestrated cyber-attacks targeting politicians and American companies for over a decade at the behest of the Chinese government, Fox News reports.
According to U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, the indictment underscores the gravity of the situation: “The Justice Department will not tolerate efforts by the Chinese government to intimidate Americans who serve the public, silence the dissidents who are protected by American laws, or steal from American businesses,” said Garland. “This case serves as a reminder of the ends to which the Chinese government is willing to go to target and intimidate its critics, including launching malicious cyber operations aimed at threatening the national security of the United States and our allies.”
The defendants are charged in connection to China’s expansive hacking campaign, which allegedly targeted sensitive data from U.S. officials, journalists, academics, and American companies. The cyber-attacks, described as a “prolific global hacking operation,” involved over 10,000 malicious emails and impacted thousands of victims worldwide, The Washington Post reports.
The Biden administration’s announcement coincided with revelations from Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, who disclosed that a Chinese government-affiliated group hacked into the United Kingdom’s electoral registry to pilfer personal information from millions of voters.
The Treasury Department also sanctioned Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company, Limited (Wuhan XRZ), identified as a Ministry of State Security front company involved in cyber operations.
The indictment alleges that the defendants targeted high-ranking U.S. government officials, politicians, journalists, and election campaign staff. The malicious emails, purporting to be from prominent American journalists, contained tracking links that transmitted recipients’ information to servers controlled by the defendants, the DOJ wrote in their statement.
Among the targets were individuals at the White House, various government departments, members of Congress, political commentators, and government contractors. The cyber-attacks also extended to international critics of the Chinese Communist Party, including members of the Inter Parliamentary Alliance on China.
The Hubei State Security Department created Wuhan XRZ in 2010 to execute its computer intrusion activities. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated two defendants, Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin, for their roles in targeting U.S. entities critical to national security.
The Department of State announced a Rewards for Justice offer for information on the defendants, emphasizing the U.S. commitment to thwarting malicious cyber activities and safeguarding critical infrastructure.
“The United States is focused on disrupting dangerous cyber actors and protecting our citizens and critical infrastructure,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.
