US charges 7 Chinese hackers with 'sinister' campaign spanning 14 years

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US announced charges Monday against seven Chinese nationals who are accused of carrying out a "sinister" state-sponsored hacking campaign that targeted US and foreign critics of China, businesses and political officials.

The scheme spanned 14 years, and sought to benefit "China's economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives," according to the Justice Department. The indicted include Ni Gaobin, 38; Weng Ming, 37; Cheng Feng, 34; Peng Yaowen, 38; Sun Xiaohui, 38; Xiong Wang, 35; and Zhao Guangzong, 38.

All of the defendants are believed to be residing in China, and are accused of being part of the Advanced Persistent Threat 31 hacker group (APT31 Group). They allegedly carried out the campaign alongside Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) intelligence officers, contractor hackers, and others.

The effort included sending over 10,000 "malicious emails that the defendants and others in the APT31 Group sent to these targets often appeared to be from prominent news outlets or journalists and appeared to contain legitimate news articles," the Justice Department said.

It further alleged that APT31 was part of a cyberespionage program run by the MSS’s Hubei State Security Department, which is located in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Thousands of individuals were allegedly affected.

“The Justice Department will not tolerate efforts by the Chinese government to intimidate Americans who serve the public, silence the dissidents who are protected by American laws, or steal from American businesses,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

“This case serves as a reminder of the ends to which the Chinese government is willing to go to target and intimidate its critics, including launching malicious cyber operations aimed at threatening the national security of the United States and our allies," he added.

The State Department has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information on the indicted men, or APT31.