Millions of Americans' online accounts compromised in Chinese hacking plot, claims US

The United States Justice Department has disclosed that millions of Americans' online accounts have been ensnared in what officials describe as a "sinister" Chinese hacking plot. The Biden administration wasted no time in responding, hitting alleged Chinese hackers with sanctions and criminal charges on Monday.

The scope of the breach is alarming, with the British government also accusing Beijing of hacking the U.K.'s electoral register, compromising the personal details of tens of millions of voters. This coordinated attack has prompted a global condemnation of China's escalating aggression in cyberspace.

The U.S. took decisive action by imposing sanctions on a China-based firm identified as a Ministry of State Security front company. Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology, along with two Chinese nationals, faced penalties for their alleged involvement in multiple malicious cyber operations, particularly targeting U.S. critical infrastructure.

The Treasury Department's statement emphasized the collaborative effort involving not only U.S. agencies like the Justice Department, FBI, and State Department, but also their counterparts in the United Kingdom. According to the Treasury, China-sponsored cyber actors pose a significant and persistent threat to U.S. national security, earning them the label of "advanced persistent threats" (APTs) in both industry and government circles.