US Indicts 12 Chinese Nationals Over Alleged Global Hacking Operation Targeting Critics: '…Been Paying Hackers-For-Hire To Inflict Digital Harm On Americans'

The U.S. Justice Department has indicted 12 Chinese nationals for their alleged involvement in a worldwide hacking campaign.

What Happened: The Justice Department suspects China’s Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of State Security to have employed hackers to acquire confidential information and track down critics worldwide.

Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, Bryan Vorndran, stated ” Chinese Ministry of Public Security has been paying hackers-for-hire to inflict digital harm on Americans who criticize the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”

The individuals under suspicion comprise two officers from China’s Ministry of Public Security, eight employees of a company called i-Soon, and two members of the group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 27 (APT27), Zhou Shuai and Yin Kecheng.

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the U.S. did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.

The individuals would face federal charges in both New York and Washington. The Justice Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information regarding the MPS officers and i-Soon, and $2 million, each, for the APT27 members. The hackers are suspected to have sold stolen information to China’s intelligence and security agencies, aiding in the suppression of free speech and democratic processes globally.

The group’s targets included a major religious organization critical of the Chinese government, an organization advocating for human rights and religious freedom in China, and several news outlets in the U.S. The foreign ministries of Taiwan, India, South Korea, and Indonesia, along with a Hong Kong newspaper and a religious leader, were among the other intended targets.

Meanwhile, Liu Pengyu, the Chinese embassy spokesperson said, “We urge the US to stop using cybersecurity issues to smear China and stop abusing illegal unilateral sanctions,” reported the South China Morning Post. Pengyu added, “China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and citizens.”

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Why It Matters: This indictment is a significant development in the ongoing cyber warfare between the US and China. The charges are the first major hacking-related national security case brought under President Donald Trump‘s Justice Department. In 2022, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and FBI estimated the financial impact of the Chinese cyber attacks at between $300 billion and $600 billion per year, as per testimony by William R. Evanina, CEO of The Evanina Group.

The victims of these hackers include US-based critics of the Chinese government, Asian government foreign ministries, and U.S. federal and state agencies. This follows a recent incident that highlighted the activities of another Chinese hacker group, Salt Typhoon, which has been exploiting vulnerabilities in global telecom networks and universities.

The U.S. Justice Department recognizes the vital role of public-private partnerships in addressing advanced cyber threats and thanked Microsoft MSFT and Alphabet‘s GOOG GOOGL Mandiant among others for being instrumental in these investigations.

Image via Shutterstock

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.