Chinese hackers accused of spying on US agencies, $10 million reward announced

The US has reportedly announced charges against several Chinese hackers on Wednesday. According to a Reuters report, federal officers have accused 10 people of working together to steal information. Eight of them were employees of Anxun Information Technology, also known as i-Soon, and two were linked to China’s Ministry of Public Security. Authorities have also sanctioned a Chinese tech company and offered a $10 million reward. This was in response to a spying campaign that allegedly stole information from the U.S. and other countries.

According to an indictment, i-Soon was involved in China’s hacker-for-hire operations. The alleged targets included US agencies like the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Commerce, foreign ministries of Taiwan, South Korea, India, and Indonesia, critical news organizations, the New York State Assembly, and religious groups, including a large unnamed U.S. religious organization.
The indictment claims i-Soon charged Chinese intelligence agencies $10,000 to $75,000 for each hacked email inbox, with extra fees for analyzing the data.
The Chinese embassy in Washington opposed the sanctions and said it would take steps to protect Chinese companies and citizens. "China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and citizens," it said in a statement.
In a related news, the US Treasury also announced sanctions against Shanghai Heiying Information Technology Company and its founder, Zhou Shuai, for selling stolen data and access to compromised computer networks. Some of the data reportedly ended up with Chinese hacker Yin Kecheng, who was previously sanctioned for stealing US Treasury data.