The U.S. Treasury Department is tightening the screws on Chinese hacker group Salt Typhoon, implicated in the most significant US telecoms breach in history.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) made the announcement, signposting China-based cybersecurity enterprise, Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology, for its direct links with the said hacking group.
Previously, Salt Typhoon made headlines for infiltrating multiple US telecom and internet service providers, including giants AT&T and Verizon, to monitor communications of prime US officials and influential figures.
The hackers didn’t stop there. They also compromised systems used by law enforcement for retrieving customer data under court orders. This breach potentially leaked sensitive data, such as the identities of Chinese surveillance targets of the US.
OFAC highlights Sichuan Juxinhe’s “direct involvement in the exploitation of these telecommunications and internet service provider companies.” In addition, Yin Kecheng, a Shanghai-based cyber actor, was targeted for sanctions due to alleged involvement in a recent widespread hack of the US Treasury.
The cyber assaults marked another one of China’s state-backed hacking groups, Silk Typhoon, breaching the US Treasury through pilfered private keys, enabling remote server access.
Yin Kecheng has reportedly been an active cyber bad actor for over ten years and is believed to have ties with China’s Ministry of State Security, a prime agency in China’s foreign intelligence capture.
Based on a recent statement from U.S. Treasury official Adewale O. Adeyemo, they will “…continue to use authorities to hold accountable malicious cyber actors who target the American people, our companies, and the United States government…”
Earlier, the US government cited another China-related cybersecurity company, Integrity Technology Group, for its projected association with the government-backed hacking group, Flax Typhoon, involved in disrupting U.S critical infrastructure.
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