U.S. Justice Department prosecutors have charged 10 Chinese citizens and two government agents for computer hacks that targeted dissidents, religious groups, news outlets and American government agencies.
The Chinese government paid Anxun Information Technology, a cybersecurity firm also known as i-Soon, to hack and steal information in a manner that obscured its involvement, the U.S. alleges.
Eight i-Soon employees and two Chinese Ministry of Public Security officials were accused of various crimes for their alleged hacking of email accounts, mobile phones, servers and websites between 2016 and 2023, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday. Separate charges were also made public against two other Chinese citizens, who prosecutors said in a statement were linked to a recent breach of the U.S. Treasury Department.
