US Charges China-Backed Hackers With 14 Years of Cyberattacks

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted seven Chinese nationals suspected of hacking on behalf of China's spy agency.

Over 14 years, the defendants' network allegedly targeted critics of Beijing, politicians, and companies in the U.S. and elsewhere.

The U.S. and other Western governments are increasingly concerned about Chinese state-affiliated espionage in light of recently exposed hacking campaigns believed to be paving the way for cyberattacks against critical infrastructure.

The defendants allegedly belonged to Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31), a hacking ring run by the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), specifically its foreign intelligence arm based in Wuhan, Hubei province.