2 weeks Ago
The United States sanctioned a Chinese cybersecurity company over an ambitious cyberattack that U.S. Treasury officials say could have killed people.
The Treasury said in a statement on Tuesday that the Chengdu-based Sichuan Silence Information Technology Company and one of its employees, Guan Tianfeng, deployed malicious software to more than 80,000 firewalls run by thousands of companies worldwide in April 2020. The malicious software not only stole data, but it was used to deploy ransomware, which paralyzes corporate networks by encrypting data. The statement said three dozen firewalls were protecting the systems of critical infrastructure companies and that, had the hacking not been thwarted or mitigated, the potential impact "could have resulted in serious injury or loss of human life.
" In particular, the statement said that an energy company targeted in Sichuan Silence's hacking campaign was "actively involved in drilling" during the attack. Had the hacking not been thwarted, the statement said, "it could have caused oil rigs to malfunction." Guan was separately charged with conspiracy to commit computer and wire fraud, according to a Department of Justice indictment made public on Tuesday.
The FBI is offering $10 million for information about the 30-year-old, his company, or their alleged hacking activities. Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Web Development Intermediate C++ Skills: Master Pointers, Structures and File Stream By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) ChatGPT Mastery from Zero to Hero: The Complete AI Course By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Master RESTful APIs with Python and Django REST Framework: Web API Development By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Web Development Advanced Java Mastery: Object-Oriented Programming Techniques By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Data Analysis Learn Power BI with Microsoft Fabric: Complete Course By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Web Development Advanced C++ Mastery: OOPs and Template Techniques By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Collaborative AI Foundations: Working Smarter with Machines By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Office Productivity Microsoft Word Mastery: From Beginner to Expert By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Finance Crypto & NFT Mastery: From Basics to Advanced By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Entrepreneurship Boosting Startup Revenue with 6 AI-Powered Sales Automation Techniques By - Dr.
Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Design Microsoft Designer Guide: The Ultimate AI Design Tool By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass By - CA Himanshu Jain, Ex McKinsey, Moody's, and PwC, Co - founder, The WallStreet School View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development Intermediate Java Mastery: Method, Collections, and Beyond By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development 12-Factor App Methodology: Principles and Guidelines By - Prince Patni, Software Developer (BI, Data Science) View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Sichuan Silence did not immediately respond to an email and Reuters could not immediately locate contact information for Guan, who also goes by "gxiaomao" online.
Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Sichuan Silence has previously been accused of involvement in malicious digital activity. In 2021 Facebook and Instagram's parent company, Meta Platforms, alleged that the firm was linked to an online influence campaign that promoted claims of a phony biologist who said the United States was interfering in the search for the origins of COVID-19. Beijing routinely denies being a party to hacking and other malicious cyber activity.
Ross McKerchar, the chief information security officer of the UK-based firm Sophos, whose routers were among those targeted in the cyberattack, said in a statement that the hackers had shown "relentless determination." In a past report on the activity, Sophos said the hacks demonstrated "a level of commitment to malicious activity we have rarely seen in the nearly 40 years of Sophos' existence as a company.".
