US Sanctions Chinese Firm Over Treasury Breach

The action is part of a U.S. operation to counter ‘increasingly reckless cyber activity’ from Beijing, Treasury officials said.

A member of the hacking group Red Hacker Alliance who refused to give his real name, uses a website that monitors global cyberattacks on his computer at the group's office in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China, on Aug. 4, 2020. Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images

The United States on Jan. 17 sanctioned a Chinese cyber actor and a Chinese cybersecurity firm, accusing both of aiding the recent hack into the Treasury Department and the intrusion into major U.S. telecom providers.

The Chinese cyber actor was identified as Yin Kecheng, a decade-long hacker from Shanghai who officials said is affiliated with the top Chinese espionage agency, the Ministry of State Security.