The US Justice Department, which indicted seven Beijing-linked hackers last week, said the more than decade-long hacks “have affected or may have affected the work and personal email, cloud storage accounts of millions of Americans”.
Hackers have also hit politicians and companies in the US and other countries, including American steel, energy and clothing companies. Among the targets were major suppliers of 5G mobile phone equipment, wireless technology, and even the spouses of high-ranking US officials and lawmakers.
According to the US Department of Justice, the hackers also tried to influence all the representatives of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) of the European Union countries, although specific politicians are not named. The alliance includes Social Democrat member of the Seimas Dovilė Šakalienė and conservative diplomat Žygymantas Pavilionis, who heads the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Attacks on IPAC politicians were carried out in early 2021 through infected emails. Once opened, hackers gained access to victims’ data, including IP addresses, browsers used, and operating systems.
Tags: Lithuanian parliamentarians among targets Chinese hackers accused hacking
