Xu Zewei (徐泽伟), 34, of the People’s Republic of China was extradited to the United States this weekend and appeared today in U.S. District Court in Houston on a nine-count indictment related to his involvement in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021.
Certain of those computer intrusions allegedly are part of the HAFNIUM computer intrusion campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide, including in the United States. Other intrusions targeted U.S. COVID-19 research during the height of the pandemic. Xu is charged along with Zhang Yu (张宇), 44, who is also a PRC national. According to court documents, officers of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security’s (MSS) Shanghai State Security Bureau (SSSB) directed Xu to conduct this hacking. The MSS and SSSB are PRC intelligence services responsible for PRC’s domestic counterintelligence, non-military foreign intelligence, and aspects of the PRC’s political and domestic security.
Read more…
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- UK: Personal details of 200,000 people at risk after neighbourhood watch system data breach
April 24, 2024
The names, email addresses and telephone numbers of up to 200,000 people could have been obtained by hackers following a major data breach at a police-backed alert system. Bosses at the company which manages the ‘In The Know’ alert system, which is used by Lancashire Police and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, have apologised. Read more… Source: MSN ...
- The Fall of LabHost: Law Enforcement Shuts Down Phishing Service Provider
April 18, 2024
In late 2021, LabHost (AKA LabRat) emerged as a new PhaaS platform, growing over time to eventually offer dozens of phishing pages targeting banks, high-profile organizations, and other service providers located around the world, but most notably in Canada, the US, and the UK. The popularity of the platform meant that at the time of the ...
- #StopRansomware: Akira Ransomware summary
April 18, 2024
Since March 2023, Akira ransomware has impacted a wide range of businesses and critical infrastructure entities in North America, Europe, and Australia. In April 2023, following an initial focus on Windows systems, Akira threat actors deployed a Linux variant targeting VMware ESXi virtual machines. As of January 1, 2024, the ransomware group has impacted over 250 ...
- Police bust global cyber gang accused of industrial-scale fraud
April 18, 2024
Police have taken down a gang accused of using a technology service that helped criminals use fraudulent text messages to steal from victims. They have arrested 37 people worldwide and are contacting victims. Officers say younger people who grew up with the internet were the most likely to fall for the “phishing” scam. The technology allowed ...
- DHS: Applications Open for FY24 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grants
April 15, 2024
WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Administered by the DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the TVTP Grant Program is the only federal government grant ...
- More than 3 000 law enforcement authorities now connected to Europol
April 12, 2024
As of today, over 3 000 law enforcement authorities from more than 70 countries and international entities are connected to Europol’s secure information exchange channel, known as SIENA (‘Secure Information Exchange Network Application’). The platform enables the swift exchange of operational and strategic information among Europol, EU Member States and partner countries with which Europol has ...