US Indicts Chinese Tech Company and Hackers for Espionage
The U.S. government has taken action against a Chinese technology company, along with individuals accused of conducting significant cyber espionage operations. According to a recent announcement, the company, known as Anxun Information Technology, or i-Soon, and several alleged hackers have been indicted.
The U.S. has labeled the threat group as “AQUATIC PANDA,” following its established naming convention for Chinese Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). The indictments allege that i-Soon served as a key player in a “hacker-for-hire” ecosystem, working on behalf of Chinese intelligence agencies. (Source: US Government)
The indictment claims that the company and its personnel were responsible for a sustained espionage and hacking campaign targeting the U.S. and other countries. In total, 10 individuals were indicted for their involvement in the operation, including eight i-Soon staff members and two staff members from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.
According to the indictment, i-Soon functioned as a third-party hacking service, with prices ranging from US$10,000 to US$75,000 per compromised email inbox, with additional charges for data analysis. The targets reportedly included:
- The U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency
- The U.S. Department of Commerce
- The New York State Assembly
- Several news publications critical of China
- The foreign ministries of Taiwan, India, Indonesia, and South Korea
Additionally, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office stated the group targeted a number of religious groups and individuals, including a “large religious organization in the United States.” (Source: Manhattan District Attorney’s office)
In addition to the i-Soon indictments, the U.S. also announced sanctions against a technology company in Shanghai, the Shanghai Heiying Information Technology, and its founder, Zhou Shuai. They are accused of “selling illegally exfiltrated data” which includes data accessed from compromised computer networks. (Source: US Government) Yin Kecheng, who has connections with the US Treasury data breach, has also been implicated as he acquired some of the data stolen by Zhou. Both men have also been indicted.
