The United States Indicts 12 Chinese Citizens

On Wednesday, March 6, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an indictment against 12 Chinese citizens for participating in a global hacking campaign targeting U.S.-based dissidents, news organizations, government agencies, and a major religious organization. According to court documents, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of State Security have utilized a network of private companies and hackers to steal information and assist in locating critics and dissidents worldwide. Brian Vorndran, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, stated, "Today's announcement shows that the Chinese Ministry of Public Security is paying to inflict digital harm on Americans who criticize the Chinese Communist Party." The suspects, which include two officers from the Ministry of Public Security, eight employees from a company named 'I-Sun', and two members of a group called 'Advanced Persistent Threat 27', are currently at large, and the U.S. Department of Justice has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information about them. The FBI's press release noted that the I-Sun company conducted computer intrusions on its own initiative and then sold the stolen information for prices ranging from $10,000 to $75,000 per email account to Chinese intelligence and security services to be used for suppressing free speech and democratic processes worldwide. Targets of this campaign included the 'New York Assembly' and several news organizations in the United States that have opposed the Chinese Communist Party or published uncensored news in China, a major religious organization critical of the Chinese government, and a group advocating for human rights and religious freedom in China. Additionally, outside the United States, a religious leader, a Hong Kong newspaper, and the foreign ministries of Taiwan, India, South Korea, and Indonesia were targeted. Zhou Shuai and Yin Kecheng, two men associated with the 'Advanced Persistent Threat 27' group, who have separate indictments issued against them, are accused of hacking multiple companies, agencies, universities, and healthcare systems in the United States, causing millions of dollars in damages. They also face several charges including conspiracy in computer networks, wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering, with Yin accused of involvement in the hacking of the U.S. Treasury Department between September and December 2024. These indictments are the result of a joint investigation by the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury. Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, dismissed the allegations as "hype" and expressed hope for a professional and responsible approach based on sufficient evidence regarding cyber incidents, rather than speculation and baseless accusations. This report utilized information from the Associated Press.