US sanctions Beijing-based hacking group linked to Chinese govt

US Treasury sanctions Integrity Technology Group for cyberattacks on US entities, including critical systems

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The United States on Friday slapped sanctions on a Beijing-based hacking outfit with links to the Chinese government, accusing it of targeting “critical” US government infrastructure.

The US Treasury said it had targeted Integrity Technology Group, Incorporated, for its role in multiple attacks since 2021 against US entities often within “critical infrastructure sectors.”

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Integrity Tech was “a large PRC government contractor with ties to the Ministry of State Security.”

Miller said the hackers working for Integrity Tech, “known to the private sector as ‘Flax Typhoon,’ were working at the direction of the PRC government, targeting critical infrastructure in the United States and overseas.”

“The Treasury Department will not hesitate to hold malicious cyber actors and their enablers accountable for their actions,” acting Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Bradley Smith said.

Friday’s announcement comes days after the Treasury Department said a China state-sponsored actor was behind a cyber breach resulting in access to some of its workstations, according to a letter to Congress seen by AFP.

The actor, who was not named, compromised a third-party cybersecurity service provider and was able to remotely access the Treasury workstations and some unclassified documents, according to a Treasury spokesperson.

In its announcement on Friday, the Treasury Department said “Chinese malicious cyber actors” were responsible for the “recent targeting of Treasury’s own IT infrastructure,” but did not accuse Integrity Tech of being behind the attack.