US Offers $10 Million Reward for Arrest of Chinese Hacker

The United States has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Guan Tianfeng, a Chinese hacker, and his accomplices, who are wanted for their role in a major cyberattack. The U.S. State Department announced the bounty on Tuesday, stating that Tianfeng, 30, is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud. He is believed to reside in Sichuan Province, China.

The U.S. Treasury Department has also imposed sanctions on Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co. Ltd., the company where Tianfeng worked. According to an indictment, Tianfeng and his co-conspirators exploited a vulnerability in firewalls made by the UK-based cybersecurity firm Sophos Ltd. They infected tens of thousands of network security devices worldwide with malware designed to steal sensitive information from victims.

In April 2020, the hackers targeted around 81,000 firewall devices globally, compromising data such as usernames and passwords while attempting to infect the systems with ransomware. Over 23,000 of these devices were in the United States, with 36 protecting critical infrastructure systems.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco emphasized the widespread impact, saying, “The defendant and his co-conspirators exploited a vulnerability in tens of thousands of network security devices.” FBI agent Herbert Stapleton warned that the damage could have been far worse if Sophos had not quickly identified the vulnerability and acted to contain it.

The indictment further alleges that Sichuan Silence sold the data it gathered through the cyberattack to Chinese businesses and government agencies, including the Ministry of Public Security. When contacted, a representative from Sichuan Silence declined to comment on the sanctions and refused an interview request.