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U.S. Indicts Chinese Hackers and Sanctions Tech Company Over Spy Campaign

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The U.S. government has announced new legal actions targeting alleged Chinese hackers, including multiple indictments and sanctions, in connection with a years-long espionage campaign. Federal authorities have charged 10 individuals in total, including eight employees from a Chinese tech company, i-Soon (also known as Anxun Information Technology), and two members of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.

The indictment, made public on Wednesday, describes i-Soon as a key component in China’s “hacker-for-hire” ecosystem, claiming the company played a significant role in targeting global and U.S. entities. Among the alleged victims were the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, the Department of Commerce, Taiwan’s and South Korea’s foreign ministries, and several organizations critical of China, including news agencies. Additionally, the hackers infiltrated various religious groups, including a major U.S.-based religious organization.

The indictment outlines that i-Soon charged Chinese intelligence agencies between $10,000 and $75,000 for each email inbox they successfully breached, with added fees for data analysis. The charges against the individuals range from stealing sensitive personal and government data to orchestrating cyber-attacks on foreign governments.

In response, the Chinese embassy in Washington condemned the U.S. sanctions, emphasizing China’s opposition to what it called “long-arm jurisdiction” and vowed to take action to protect the rights of its citizens and companies.

Alongside the indictments, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against Shanghai-based Heiying Information Technology and its founder, Zhou Shuai, for allegedly selling stolen data and access to compromised U.S. infrastructure networks. Some of the stolen data was reportedly sold to a previously sanctioned Chinese hacker, Yin Kecheng, who was also indicted. Yin is linked to a prior breach of U.S. Treasury data.

Former New York Governors’ Aide Charged as Alleged Agent for Chinese Government in Major Espionage Case

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Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Governors Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo, has been charged with acting as an agent for the Chinese government. The indictment alleges Sun, along with her husband Chris Hu, engaged in a range of criminal activities, including money laundering, visa fraud, and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Sun is accused of leveraging her positions in state government to benefit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), facilitating unauthorized travel for Chinese officials and altering state messaging to align with CCP interests. The charges, which include blocking Taiwanese diplomatic efforts and manipulating pandemic-related communications, have sparked national security concerns. Sun and Hu, both pleading not guilty, await their next court appearance, with bond set at $1.5 million and $500,000 respectively. The case sheds light on foreign influence efforts within US state governments, raising alarms about the extent of Chinese infiltration and espionage at various governmental levels.