US to Confront Chinese Hackers for Targeting American Companies in Espionage Efforts

The Biden administration is getting ready to publicly blame a number of Chinese hackers for carrying out extensive hacks on US companies for China's civilian intelligence service, according to three sources familiar with the situation, as reported by CNN.

This coordinated effort involving multiple government agencies is anticipated to involve legal charges, sanctions, and a significant monetary reward for any information regarding these hackers. The US government believes that these hackers are acting under the direction of China's influential Ministry of State Security spy agency, the sources revealed.

An announcement revealing the hackers' identities with names and photos is anticipated by Monday, according to sources. It was disclosed by one source that the hackers have been utilizing a Chinese technology company as a facade to conceal their hacking operations. Additionally, sources mentioned that the British government is gearing up to accuse the hacking group of targeting organizations in the UK.

CNN has reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC for comment. The Justice Department has chosen not to provide any comments on this matter.

The timing of these actions is sensitive due to the current state of cyber relations between the US and China. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently issued a public warning about Chinese hackers potentially causing harm to American citizens and communities.

During a meeting in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping reassured US President Joe Biden that China would not interfere in the 2024 US election. However, US officials are cautious and do not fully trust this assurance.

Beijing strongly denied the hacking accusations made by the US and also accused the US of carrying out its own hacking activities against China.

Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the upcoming announcement by the US will concentrate on alleged Chinese cyber-espionage rather than the potential cyberattacks mentioned by Wray.

The US is set to identify a group of Chinese men who work for a technology company based in Wuhan. This company is known to carry out hacking operations on behalf of the MSS, China's civilian spy agency. In the cybersecurity industry, these hackers are recognized as APT31 or Judgement Panda, targeting a wide range of organizations such as US law firms, European industrial companies, and international apparel businesses.

Prior to the 2020 US election, hackers linked to this group attempted to hack into email accounts associated with the Biden campaign. However, Microsoft reported that these attempts were unsuccessful. It remains uncertain whether any of the men expected to be named this week were involved in these hacking activities.

The Chinese government's advanced cyber capabilities have once again been linked to contractors working for front companies, as seen in the recent announcement. This is not the first time such a connection has been made.

Last month, a leak of documents from the Chinese tech company I-Soon revealed the extent of their hacking activities. Victims ranged from Tibet to Hong Kong, with contracts showing that the firm's clients included China's police, intelligence service, and military.

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