The U.S. Sanctions a Chinese Company and Its Employee for Widespread Hacking

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned a Chinese cybersecurity company named 'Sichuan Silence Information Technology' and one of its employees, 'Guan Tianfeng,' due to a widespread cyber attack that, according to officials from the department, could have resulted in human fatalities. In a statement released by the Treasury Department on Tuesday, December 20, it was announced that this Chengdu-based company installed malware in over 80,000 firewalls used by thousands of companies worldwide in April 2020. According to the department, this malware not only stole data but was also used to execute ransomware attacks, which paralyze company networks by encrypting data. The statement added that approximately 36 of these firewalls belonged to companies protecting critical infrastructure, and if these attacks were not neutralized or contained, they 'could have led to serious damage or human casualties.' According to Reuters, one of the energy companies targeted by these attacks was 'actively drilling' at the time of the attack. If this attack had not been contained, 'there was a possibility of disruption to the operation of oil rigs.' Based on this report, the U.S. Attorney's Office has charged 'Guan,' an employee of the aforementioned Chinese company, with conspiracy to commit computer and internet fraud. According to an indictment released by the Department of Justice on Tuesday, the FBI has set a $10 million reward for information about this 30-year-old individual, his company, or related hacking activities. Sichuan Silence did not respond to Reuters' request for comment via email. This company has previously been accused of malicious digital activities. In 2021, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram stated that Sichuan Silence played a role in an online influence campaign that made claims about a fictitious biologist who alleged that the U.S. was interfering in the search for the origin of COVID-19. The Chinese government typically denies any involvement in hacking and other malicious cyber activities. Identification of over 200 cyber attacks by the Islamic Republic against Israeli officials and figures, hacking the Telegram channel of two Israeli journalists, and the publication of images of Hitler and Khamenei in it, warnings from Canada about the cyber threat from the Islamic Republic, China, and Russia, and Reuters reporting that hackers linked to the Islamic Republic published stolen emails from the Trump campaign.