The hackers were allegedly involved in racketeering and other crimes. This includes ransomware attacks and crypto-jacking, in which a group hacks into a victim’s computer to “mine” cryptocurrency.
“Today’s charges, the related arrests, seizures of malware and other infrastructure used to conduct intrusions, and coordinated private sector protective actions reveal yet again the department’s determination to use all of the tools at its disposal and to collaborate with the private sector and nations who support the rule of law in cyberspace,” Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers said. “This is the only way to neutralize malicious nation-state cyber activity.”
The Malaysian connection
Two defendants have been arrested in Malaysia, where they are currently being held for extradition. The two Malaysian businessmen are accused of conspiring with two of the Chinese hackers targeting the video game industry in the United States and abroad.
On Sept. 14, 2020, Malaysian authorities arrested the suspects in Sitiawan. The arrest warrants and the resulting seizure of hundreds of accounts, domain names, servers, and command-and-control (C2) web pages. These C2 or dead-drop web pages are used by the defendants to conduct their computer offenses.
