Chinese cybersecurity firm sanctioned by US Treasury over alleged links to Salt Typhoon hackers

LovabledanielsJanuary 20, 2025121 Views

A Chinese cybersecurity firm has been sanctioned by the US Treasury
The firm allegedly has ties to hacking group Salt Typhoon
Salt Typhoon is accused of carrying out a cyberattack on 9 telco giants

A Chinese cybersecurity firm has been sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for alleged links to the notorious hacking group Salt Typhoon.

Salt Typhoon is perhaps best known as the group who infiltrated the networks of nine major US telecommunications companies and internet providers, including Verizon and AT&T in the largest telecoms hack in US history.

“Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., LTD. (Sichuan Juxinhe) had direct involvement in the exploitation of these U.S. telecommunication and internet service provider companies. The MSS (China Ministry of State Security) has maintained strong ties with multiple computer network exploitation companies, including Sichuan Juxinhe,” the Treasury said in a statement.

A major incursion

The Salt Typhoon hack saw state-sponsored actors targeting high-level government communications through a breach of third-party tech support platform BeyondTrust. Hackers were reportedly lurking inside telecom networks for months before being eradicated.

“The Treasury Department will continue to use its authorities to hold accountable malicious cyber actors who target the American people, our companies, and the United States government, including those who have targeted the Treasury Department specifically,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Adewale O. Adeyemo.

Following the hack, the US Treasury was again hit by a further cyberattack which targeted the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), which is the department in charge of reviewing foreign investments for national security risks.

In January 2025, the Treasury similarly sanctioned a Chinese cybersecurity firm Yongxin Zhicheng Technology Group for alleged ties to Flax Typhoon, the group responsible for hijacking legally required broadband and communications backdoors which allow US law enforcement to intercept communications.