U.S. Sanctions Shake Up Cybersecurity Landscape with Salt Typhoon Fallout

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned hacker Yin Kecheng and Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co. for their roles in the Salt Typhoon hacks, which exposed U.S. telecom call logs to Chinese spies. The breaches, labeled as the worst in U.S. history, involved secretive conversations of American politicians.

The U.S. Treasury Department has taken decisive action against alleged hacker Yin Kecheng and Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., following their reported involvement in major cyber intrusions. On Friday, sanctions were imposed, highlighting the alleged breaches into American telecom companies, known as the Salt Typhoon hacks.

These breaches are believed to have compromised the security of vast amounts of call data, exposing sensitive information to Chinese intelligence services. Among the intercepted conversations were discussions between high-profile U.S. politicians and government officials. Lawmakers are describing the incidents as potentially the worst telecom breaches in American history.

Attempts by Reuters to contact Yin Kecheng and the company went unanswered, and China's Washington-based embassy issued no immediate comment. China has consistently denied involvement in cyberespionage activities, maintaining its stance amid these new allegations.

(With inputs from agencies.)