The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that ten Chinese hackers and two Chinese law enforcement officers have been charged in connection with a global hacking campaign.
This campaign targeted various entities, including dissidents, news organizations, and U.S. government agencies. According to the Justice Department, the hacking was carried out in some instances at the direction of China’s Ministry of Public Security.
The Ministry received stolen information and selected targets for the intrusions. U.S. officials describe this as a large-scale intelligence-gathering operation.
One of the targets of the hacking was the U.S. Treasury Department, which revealed a breach by Chinese actors late last year.
The company I-Soon, whose workers were involved in the hacking, is part of a broad industry in China. An Associated Press investigation from last year documented private hacking contractors that steal data from other countries to sell to Chinese authorities.
Over the past two decades, the Chinese state security’s demand for overseas intelligence has significantly increased. This has led to a vast network of these private hackers-for-hire companies, which have infiltrated hundreds of systems outside China. The charges reflect an ongoing effort to counter cyber espionage.
