US Sanctions Chinese Firm, Actor Over Cyber Breaches

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Chinese cybersecurity firm Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology and Shanghai-based hacker Yin Kecheng for their involvement in the Salt Typhoon cyberattacks, which targeted multiple U.S. telecommunications providers and the Treasury Department itself. These sanctions are part of a broader effort to counteract increasing cyber threats from China, particularly those linked to the Ministry of State Security. The Treasury's actions follow a breach discovered in December 2022 involving the vendor BeyondTrust, which provided privileged access management services to government entities. U.S. officials described the Salt Typhoon attacks as potentially among the worst in U.S. history, with concerns that the hackers may still be present within U.S. networks. The sanctions prevent American entities from engaging in business with the sanctioned parties unless authorized. This move is seen as a last-ditch effort by the Biden administration to address the ongoing threat posed by state-sponsored Chinese cyber actors.