U.S. authorities charged five Chinese nationals with involvement in a fraudulent scheme whose victims numbered more than a hundred companies worldwide. In addition to data theft, the hackers also infected victims’ computers with ransomware and engaged in crypto-jacking, according to the documents of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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According to law enforcement, the alleged hackers operated for a shell company Chengdu 404, which purportedly specialised in cybersecurity.
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They exploited a number of well-known vulnerabilities to breach corporate networks.
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Victims included companies from the United States, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan and many others.
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Following the charges, law enforcement obtained warrants to seize websites, domains and servers linked to the attackers’ activities.
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Some of the defendants are believed to have ties to the hacking group APT41. Analysts say the attacks carried out by it are financed by the Chinese government.
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The prosecutor’s office also charged two Malaysian businessmen in conspiracy with two members of APT41 to profit from attacks on video-game companies. They were arrested in Malaysia; the United States is pursuing their extradition.
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Earlier, U.S. authorities charged two Russian citizens with stealing $16.8 million from customers of crypto platforms.
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