US imposes sanctions on China’s Integrity Tech for hacking its critical infrastructure

US on Friday imposed sanctions on the Beijing-based cybersecurity company Integrity Technology Group, Incorporated (Integrity Tech), which has links to China’s Ministry of State Security, for its role in multiple computer intrusion incidents against US victims, US State Department announced.

According to the US State Department statement, “Integrity Tech is a large China government contractor with ties to the Ministry of State Security. It provides services to country and municipal State Security and Public Security Bureaus, as well as, other China cybersecurity government contractors.”

“China-based hackers working for Integrity Tech, known to the private sector as “Flax Typhoon,” were working at the direction of the the China government, targeting critical infrastructure in the United States and overseas. “Flax Typhoon” hackers have successfully targeted multiple US and foreign corporations, universities, government agencies, telecommunications providers, and media organisations,” it added.

Further, the US State Department highlighted last year’s September 18 incident, when the Department of Justice announced a court-authorised operation to disrupt a botnet consisting of more than 200,000 consumer devices infected by Integrity Tech in the United States and worldwide.

Along with Five Eyes partners, the United States issued a public cybersecurity advisory outlining some of the tactics employed by China-linked cyber actors and providing technical information to network defenders to remediate these threats, according to the US State Department.

Further, the US State Department has reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the country’s critical infrastructure and citizens from cyber threats emanating from China, stating, “These multi-agency efforts reflect our whole-of-government approach to protecting and defending against China cyber threats to Americans, our critical systems, and those of our allies and partners.”

“The United States will continue to use all the tools at its disposal to safeguard US critical infrastructure and the American people from irresponsible and reckless cyber actors,” the statement added.