U.S. Treasury Targets Hackers Linked to Telecom Breach

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned alleged hacker Yin Kechen and cybersecurity firm Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co. for their roles in telecom hacks exposing Americans' call logs to Chinese espionage. Described as one of the worst in U.S. history, some interceptions allegedly involved prominent politicians.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on Friday against Yin Kechen, an alleged hacker, and Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., a cybersecurity company. Both are accused of orchestrating a series of major hacks against American telecom companies.

These cyber intrusions, known as Salt Typhoon, purportedly exposed vast amounts of Americans' call logs to Chinese intelligence operatives, causing significant concern within the U.S. intelligence community. Allegedly, some of these breaches intercepted conversations between leading U.S. politicians and officials, potentially making it one of the most serious telecom hacks in the nation's history. The Treasury's statement described Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co. as having deep connections with China's Ministry of State Security (MSS), while identifying Yin Kechen as a seasoned hacker with more than ten years of experience and ties to the MSS. The Treasury also suggested his involvement in a recent breach of the U.S. Treasury itself.

Efforts by Reuters to contact Yin Kechen and Sichuan Juxinhe were unsuccessful, and a comment request to China's embassy in Washington went unanswered. Typically, Beijing refutes allegations of involvement in cyberespionage activities.

(With inputs from agencies.)