US And British Officials Accusing China Of Being Involved In Mass Cyber Attacks

Deputy US Attorney General Lisa Monaco (photo: x @LisaMonaco)

JAKAFRTA - On Monday, March 25, officials from the United States and Britain filed charges and imposed sanctions against China on alleged involvement in a broad cyber campaign. These charges include attacks suspected of attacking millions of individuals including lawmakers, academics, journalists, and companies, including defense contractors.

The hacker group called Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31) or "Ancaman Persisten Continued 31" is accused of being part of China's Ministry of State Security. US and UK officials mentioned a long list of targets, including White House staff, US senators, British lawmakers, and government officials from various countries criticizing China's actions.

Officials have revealed that for more than a decade, these attacks have sacrificed various entities, including defense contractors, dissidents, and various American companies, from the steel, energy, and clothing sectors. In fact, senior pairs of officials and members of the US House of Representatives are also targeted.

The purpose of this global hacking operation, according to US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, is "to suppress Chinese regime critics, compromise government agencies, and steal trade secrets." On Monday, an indictment against seven Chinese hackers was disclosed, alleging a compromise on work accounts, personal emails, online storage, and a record of phone calls held by millions of Americans.

In London, officials also accused APT31 of carrying out attacks on British lawmakers criticizing China, as well as other Chinese spy groups suspected of being involved in hacking the British electoral control agency. This also resulted in the disclosure of data on millions of British citizens.

Chinese diplomats in the UK and US reject these allegations as baseless, in which the Chinese Embassy in London calls them "unfounded forgery." Meanwhile, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on the companies they claimed were the front company of China's Ministry of State Security linked to the hacking activity.

"Today's announcement expresses China's continuous and daring efforts to undermine the cybersecurity of our country and target our Americans and innovations," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.

Calls for action against cyberattacks are growing, amid growing tensions between Beijing and Washington. China has also highlighted hacking operations allegedly carried out by Western countries, including allegations against the US National Security Agency for hacking against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei Technologies.

In the US indictment, it was revealed that in 2020, Chinese hackers targeted US presidential campaign staff, and in 2018, an American company known for public opinion research was also targeted. Perpetrators often target political organizations to gain valuable geopolitical information and data.