The U.S. Department of Justice has recently brought charges against seven Chinese nationals, accusing them of their involvement in a global hacking operation of immense magnitude. The named defendants include Ni Gaobin, Weng Ming, Cheng Feng, Peng Yaowen, Sun Xiaohui, Xiong Wang, and Zhao Guangzong, all whom are believed to dwell in the People’s Republic of China.
In a statement, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco stated that these individuals, suspected to be members of the cyber espionage group dubbed APT31 Group, were instrumental in sending upwards of 10,000 malicious emails. These nefarious activities impacted thousands of unsuspecting victims from multiple continents. Among the targeted were journalists, corporate entities, and political officials known to be critical of the PRC regime.
Monaco contended that the hacking’s primary aim was threefold: to muffle critics, destabilize government institutions, and pilfer trade secrets. This concerted digital assault on privacy and intellectual property is believed to have commenced as early as 2010.
One of the hacking operation’s modus operandi included the distribution of emails mimicking reputable news outlets. These emails contained concealed tracking links. Upon the mere opening of these emails, the recipient’s personal information, such as location, internet protocol (IP) addresses, network schematics, and the specific device used to access the email was sent to a server under the control of the defendants.
The indictment also revealed that members of the APT31 Group targeted worldwide government officials using tracking links infected with malicious software. Last year, the group allegedly targeted 43 UK parliamentary accounts due to their links to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group that opposes China’s ruling party’s autocratic governance.
U.S. departments were not spared either. Ahead of the 2020 elections, campaign staff from both the Democratic and Republican parties were targeted. American companies in the crosshairs included service providers managing computer networks and security for other companies, prominent suppliers of 5G network equipment, and a leading global provider of wireless technology, among others.
The accusations against the Chinese nationals include not only the conspiracy to commit computer intrusions but also conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland expressed the Department’s commitment to resisting any attempts by the Chinese government at intimidating Americans.
Garland emphasized that instances such as these remind us of the immense lengths the Chinese government is willing to undertake, even resorting to malicious cyber-attacks to target and intimidate critics while threatening the national security of the United States and its allies.
