US, UK Sanction Chinese Firm, Two Hackers For Cyber Attacks On Politicians, Infrastructure

The United States and United Kingdom governments have jointly imposed sanctions on a Chinese company and two individuals. This is for their alleged involvement in a long-running state-sponsored cyber campaign. The Chinese hacker breach may have exposed data on millions of U.K. voters held by the Electoral Commission, according to officials. The hackers were allegedly involved in cyberattacks targeting British lawmakers critical of China as well.

The U.K. Foreign Office said the hack did not impact electoral processes or impede anyone’s democratic rights or access. However, it did confirm that “hostile actors” gained unauthorized access to the Electoral Commission’s servers between 2021 and 2022. That potentially accessed voter registration data that was already publicly available.

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company Ltd. The charge is that the company is a front for the Chinese Ministry of State Security. Two Chinese nationals, Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin, affiliated with the Wuhan company, were also sanctioned for cyberattacks targeting critical U.S. infrastructure sectors.

Authorities claim the two individuals were involved with the Chinese hacking group APT31. It is known for targeting various entities, including U.S. presidential campaigns and the Finnish parliament’s information systems.

The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) charged the two sanctioned individuals and five others with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud. The DoJ alleges they were part of a 14-year cyber operation targeting U.S. and foreign critics, businesses, and political officials from both major parties, as well as their spouses.

“The Justice Department will not tolerate efforts by the Chinese government to intimidate Americans who serve the public, silence the dissidents who are protected by American laws, or steal from American businesses,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. In a press release, he added, “this case serves as a reminder of the ends to which the Chinese government is willing to go to target and intimidate its critics, including launching malicious cyber operations aimed at threatening the national security of the United States and our allies.”

U.K. cybersecurity officials claimed APT31 hackers conducted reconnaissance activities against British parliamentarians critical of Beijing in 2021, although no parliamentary accounts were successfully compromised. Both the U.S. and U.K. governments emphasized the need for vigilance against cybersecurity threats and potential foreign influence efforts, particularly ahead of the 2024 U.S. election cycle.

China’s Foreign Ministry denied the allegations, stating that cybersecurity issues should not be politicised. The Ministry added that countries should base their claims on evidence rather than “smears” without factual basis.

Strategic experts agree that cyberspace has become an integral part of global security, and must underpin both economic and military strategy. The U.S. accused Russian hackers of interfering in the 2016 Presidential elections. Chinese hackers are suspected to be behind several major data breaches across the world.

Last year, an Inquiry report on China released by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) of British Parliament accused the government and the country’s intelligence agencies of sacrificing strategic interests for economic considerations.

(With inputs from AP)

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