The United States Department of State has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of a Chinese hacker, Guan Tianfeng
or any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, engaged in certain malicious cyber activities against United States critical infrastructure.
The announcement on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 followed the indictment of Guan by a federal court in Hammond, Indiana, which also charged him with involvement in a conspiracy to hack indiscriminately into firewall devices around the world in 2020.
A release made available to The Daily Crucible, stated that Guan and his accomplices worked at the offices of Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co. Ltd. where they discovered and exploited a previously-unknown vulnerability (an “0-day” vulnerability) in certain firewalls sold by U.K.-based Sophos Ltd.
Sophos is an information technology company that develops and markets cybersecurity products. The malware that exploited the vulnerability discovered by Guan was designed to steal information from infected computers and to encrypt files on them if a victim attempted to remediate the infection.
In total, Guan and his co-conspirators, allegedly, infected approximately 81,000 firewall devices worldwide, including a firewall device used by an agency of the United States, The Daily Crucible learnt.
“The defendant and his co-conspirators exploited a vulnerability in tens of thousands of network security devices, infecting them with malware designed to steal information from victims around the world,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
“The indictment reflects the Justice Department’s commitment to working with partners across government and across the globe to detect and hold accountable
malicious cyber actors based in China or elsewhere who pose a threat to global cybersecurity.
“The defendant and his conspirators compromised tens of thousands of firewalls and then continued to hold at risk these devices, which protect computers in the United States and around the world,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen.
“The Department of Justice will hold accountable those who contribute to the dangerous ecosystem of China-based enabling companies that carry out indiscriminate hacks on behalf of their sponsors and undermine global cybersecurity.”
“Our law enforcement actions, technical expertise, and enduring partnerships with private companies, like Sophos, demonstrate the reputation of the FBI as being a reliable and effective partner for stopping this malicious activity,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division.
