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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.
·United Kingdom
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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.
·United States
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Total News Sources15
Leaning Left0Leaning Right4Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution64% Center
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources are Center
64% Center
C 64%
R 36%
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