WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States imposed sanctions on China’s Integrity Technology Group on Friday, alleging its involvement with a prolific hacking group known as “Flax Typhoon.” The State Department issued a statement indicating that Integrity Tech, a major Chinese government contractor with connections to the Ministry of State Security, directed its hackers to target critical infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad.
Previous accusations from Western officials have pointed to the Beijing-based company as the culprit behind Flax Typhoon. FBI Director Christopher Wray, in September remarks, accused Integrity of conducting intelligence collection and reconnaissance on behalf of Chinese government security agencies.
A joint advisory released by U.S., British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand cyber officials alleged that Integrity compromised over 250,000 devices worldwide. Chinese authorities responded by denouncing the U.S. and its allies for what they deemed as unwarranted conclusions and baseless accusations against China regarding Integrity and Flax Typhoon.
Flax Typhoon is but one of several Chinese cyber espionage entities under recent scrutiny for targeting sensitive information and critical infrastructure. Notable groups include those dubbed “Volt Typhoon,” which American officials suspect of preparing for potential conflict with the U.S., and “Salt Typhoon,” known for infiltrating U.S. telecommunications companies.
Last week, U.S. Treasury officials disclosed a cyber breach by an unnamed Chinese hacking group that infiltrated the department’s systems, compromising unspecified data. The Treasury’s sanctions office was reportedly the primary target of the attack, as detailed by subsequent reporting from the Washington Post.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson, Daphne Psaledakis, and Raphael Satter; Editing by Caitlin Webber and David Gregorio)
