Report: Chinese Hackers Stole at Least $20 Million in US COVID Relief FundsBy Eric Lendrum
December 6, 2022
The Secret Service reports that a Chinese hacking group has stolen at least $20 million from American COVID-19 relief funds across a dozen states.
As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, the group responsible is called APT41, a group that has been described as “the ‘workhorse’ of cyberespionage operations that benefit the Chinese government,” according to the original report by NBC. APT41 targeted loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) as well as unemployment insurance funds. This marks the first time that the federal government has admitted to a case of pandemic funds fraud that is tied directly to a foreign government.
The Secret Service describes APT41 as a “Chinese state-sponsored, cyberthreat group that is highly adept at conducting espionage missions and financial crimes for personal gain.” While it is still unknown whether or not the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) directly ordered the attack, the incident still nonetheless represents a “dangerous” and “serious” threat to the United States, the report continues.
Unnamed government officials claim that the true purpose of such a hack isn’t even financial in nature, but is instead focused on collecting the personal information and data of American citizens, institutions, and businesses that China can subsequently use to engage in espionage.
A former Department of Justice (DOJ) official told NBC that APT41 is known for having “the patience, the sophistication, and the resources to carry out hacking that has a direct impact on national security.”
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Source:
https://amgreatness.com/2022/12/06/report-chinese-hackers-stole-at-least-20-million-in-us-covid-relief-funds/
