The US Department of Justice on Wednesday unsealed indictments charging Zhou Shuai
and Yin Kecheng, eight employees of Chinese technology company iSoon and two officers of Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on various hacking-related offenses.
Furthermore, the US imposed sanctions on the Shanghaibased malicious cyber actor and data broker, Zhou Shuai, and his company, Shanghai Heiying Information Technology Company.
According to the US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce’s statement, Zhou Shuai illegally acquired, brokered, and sold data from highly sensitive US critical infrastructure networks, including those in the defense industrial base, communications, health, and government sectors.
The US Department of State announced reward offers under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to USD 2 million each for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of Zhou Shuai and Yin Kecheng, according
to the statement.
In a press release, the US Department of Justice stated, “These malicious cyber actors, acting as freelancers or as employees of i-Soon, conducted computer intrusions at the direction of the PRC’s MPS and Ministry of State Security (MSS) and on their own initiative. The MPS and MSS paid handsomely for stolen data. Victims include U.S.-based critics and dissidents of the PRC, a large religious organization in the United States, the foreign ministries of multiple governments in Asia, and US federal and state government agencies, including the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) in late 2024.”
In addition, Diplomatic Security Service’s Rewards for Justice Program (RFJ) is offering up to USD 10 million for information on iSoon, its employees, and the MPS officers engaged in malicious cyber activities highlighted in the Department of Justice’s indictment.
