FBI Says China's Hack-for-Hire System is 'Out of Control'
FBI officials say the network gave Chinese hackers plausible deniability while targeting thousands of computers and 12,700 U.S. organizations in one campaign.
- On Thursday, FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman warned that Chinese hackers face arrest if they travel outside their home country, following the recent extradition of Chinese national Xu Zewei from Italy.
- China's "hacker-for-hire ecosystem has gotten out of control," Leatherman said, explaining how private firms operate at the behest of intelligence agencies to provide Beijing with "a form of plausible deniability."
- Hackers exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange, a campaign tracked as Hafnium, which compromised 12,700 organizations in the United States and targeted COVID-19 researchers, according to the Department of Justice.
- Xu allegedly worked as a general manager at Shanghai Powerock Network, directing hacking activities for the Shanghai State Security Bureau and now facing multiple counts including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
- Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian accused Washington of "fabricating charges through political manipulation," while fellow hacker Zhang Yu remains at large, according to the Department of Justice.
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Chinese hackers vulnerable to U.S. arrest if they travel, FBI official says
The Chinese government’s hack-for-hire ecosystem has “gotten out of control” and provides cyber criminals with “a form of plausible deniability,” a senior FBI official said on Thursday, warning that Chinese hackers can be arrested when they travel outside their home country.
Chinese national extradited from Italy faces charges in connection to alleged Houston hacking case
A Chinese national extradited from Italy appeared in federal court in Houston on a nine-count indictment alleging he participated in computer intrusions targeting U.S. universities and a global law firm as part of a state-sponsored hacking campaign -- including targeting American COVID-19 researchers during the height of the pandemic, the Justice Department announced.
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