US Sanctions Several Chinese Individuals and a Thai Company for COVID-19 Economic Fraud and Bomb Threats

On Tuesday, June 8, the US Treasury Department sanctioned three Chinese individuals and three Thai companies for their involvement in a cybercrime network that included bomb threats and sending fraudulent requests for economic aid related to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing billions of dollars in damage to the government. The Treasury Department stated that these individuals and companies were sanctioned due to activities related to 'Botnet 911 S5,' a service that exposes computers to risk and allows cybercrimes to be traced back to victims' computers instead of the criminals'. Brian Nelson, the US Deputy Treasury Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said: 'These individuals used their malicious botnet technology to compromise personal computers and enabled cybercriminals to exploit economic aid intended for those in need, instilling fear in our citizens with bomb threats.' According to the announcement, at-risk IP addresses were linked to bomb threats across the US in July 2022. The Botnet 911 S5 compromised approximately 19 million IP addresses and caused billions of dollars in losses to the US government by sending tens of thousands of fraudulent requests for economic aid related to the pandemic. The House Committee has agreed to impose restrictions on the export of AI systems. Warnings from the UK and US regarding cyberattacks from Beijing; China, Russia, and the Islamic Republic pose immediate threats. The UK’s domestic intelligence agency has warned universities about security threats from Russia, China, and the Islamic Republic. The US has sanctioned two companies and four individuals in connection with the cyber operations of the Islamic Republic. The House of Representatives is taking action to protect 'data of 170 million users'; TikTok has expressed concern.