US Imposing Sanctions On Chinese Companies On Potentially Deadly Ransomware Attacks

Guan Tianfeng is a Sichuan Silence Information Technology Company employee (photo: x @Byron_Wan)

JAKARTA The United States has imposed sanctions on Chinese cybersecurity company Sichuan Silence Information Technology Company, for cyber attacks that US Treasury officials say could threaten human lives.

In an official statement on Tuesday, December 10, the US Treasury Department revealed that the Chengdu-based company, along with one of its employees, Guan Tianfeng, had deployed malicious software to more than 80,000 firewalls owned by thousands of companies worldwide in April 2020.

The malicious software not only steals data, but is also used to deploy ransomware that can cripple the company's network by encrypting their data. A total of three dozen firewalls protect critical infrastructure company systems, and if these hacks are not stopped, the impact is called "potential to cause serious injury or loss of human life."

One of the cases highlighted was an energy company targeted in the Sichuan Silence hacking campaign. The company was drilling active oil when the attack occurred. According to the statement, if the attack is not stopped, the hack could cause damage to oil drilling rigs.

Guan Tianfeng was also charged with conspiracy to commit computer and telecommunication fraud by the US Department of Justice. The FBI is offering a reward of 10 million US dollars (Rp1.59 trillion) for anyone who provides information related to Guan, his company, or their hacking activities.

Sichuan Silence did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media and Guan, known online by the name "gxiaomao", also disappeared.

Sichuan Silence was previously also accused of being involved in malicious digital activities. In 2021, Meta Platforms arrested Facebook and Instagram claimed the company was linked to an online influence campaign promoting false claims that the US was intervening in the search for the origins of COVID-19.

The Chinese government routinely denies involvement in hacking and other malicious cyber activity.

Ross McKerchar, Chief Information Security Officer of UK-based company Sophos, whose router was one of the targets of the attack, said hackers showed "extraordinary tightness." In a previous report, Sophos stated that this attack demonstrated "commitment to malicious activity that we rarely encounter in nearly 40 years of the existence of our company."

This move underscores the seriousness of global cyber threats, which continue to grow into a major challenge to national security and critical infrastructure. US sanctions against Sichuan Silence reflect the government's efforts to take firm action against actors deemed to threaten international stability.