In a recently revealed indictment against seven alleged Chinese hackers, the U.S. Department of Justice asserted that their activities spanning over a decade “resulted in the
confirmed and potential compromise of work and personal email accounts, cloud storage accounts, and telephone call records belonging to millions of Americans.”
The hackers’ targets extended beyond politicians in the U.S. and other countries to encompass companies in sectors such as steel, energy, apparel, and clothing. Additionally, they targeted prominent providers of 5G mobile phone equipment and wireless technology, as well as the spouses of senior US officials and lawmakers.
Among the targets, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), which represents every member of the European Union, was also singled out. While U.S. officials refrained from naming specific individuals,
IPAC includes Lithuanian MPs Dovilė Šakalienė and Žygimantas Pavilionis.
The attacks on IPAC members occurred in early 2021 through the use of malicious emails, which, once opened, installed tracking software allowing hackers access to the targets’ data, including IP addresses, browser types, and operating systems.
Both Šakalienė and Pavilionis indicated that
they believed the attempts by Chinese hackers to breach their accounts were unsuccessful. However, examples from their colleagues illustrate that such risks persist.
“There have been spikes in the flow of fake emails, including during the period disclosed by the US authorities,” Šakalienė told the Baltic News Service (BNS).
APT31
According to the Justice Department, the seven
indicted Chinese hackers were associated with APT31, a hacking group involved in Beijing’s cyber espionage efforts, operated by the Ministry of State Security from Wuhan.
As part of a cyber intrusion campaign that lasted approximately 14 years, APT31 sent over 10,000 malicious emails, posing as reputable news outlets or journalists and containing seemingly authentic news articles.
China has dismissed the hacking allegations leveled by the U.S. and the U.K. as “political maneuvering.”
Tensions between Beijing and Washington over cyber espionage have been escalating, with Western intelligence agencies increasingly cautioning against alleged Chinese espionage. On the other hand, Beijing has also begun to highlight alleged Western hacking operations.
Both Šakalienė and Pavilionis emphasized the
persistent threat posed by cyberattacks, with Šakalienė noting a surge in suspicious emails during the period disclosed by U.S. authorities. She underscored the importance of remaining vigilant given the high volume of emails received.
In a statement, IPAC clarified that the campaign by Beijing-linked hackers was not an attack on any specific individual, political party, or government policy.
“It was directed at politicians who represent the ideological and geographical breadth of the globe, united by one thing only: their willingness to confront the profound challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” the alliance said.
