The U.S. unsealed indictments against China-based cyber actors, imposing sanctions and offering multimillion-dollar rewards for information on hacking activities targeting key infrastructure.
The United States has announced new sanctions against individuals and entities involved in cyber activities targeting American infrastructure. On March 5, 2025, the Department of Justice unsealed indictments against Zhou Shuai, Yin Kecheng, eight employees of the Chinese technology firm i-Soon, and two officers from China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS). The indictments detail a range of hacking-related offenses linked to cyber espionage operations.
In addition to the indictments, the Diplomatic Security Service’s Rewards for Justice Program (RFJ) has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information on i-Soon, its employees, and the implicated MPS officers involved in these malicious cyber activities. Meanwhile, the United States has imposed sanctions on Zhou Shuai, a Shanghai-based cyber actor and data broker, and his company, Shanghai Heiying Information Technology Company.
Zhou Shuai is accused of illegally acquiring, brokering, and selling highly sensitive data from U.S. critical infrastructure networks, including those in the defense, communications, health, and government sectors. The Department of State has also announced rewards of up to $2 million each for information leading to the arrests or convictions of Zhou Shuai and Yin Kecheng under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP).
The U.S. government has condemned China’s role in harboring private sector entities engaged in cyberattacks against the United States and its allies. Officials assert that the Chinese Communist Party contracts such companies with varying levels of oversight and control, making China-backed cyber threats one of the most persistent risks to U.S. national security.
“This multi-agency effort underscores our commitment to protecting Americans and their sensitive data from cyber threats originating in China,” a U.S. government official stated. “President Trump is fully dedicated to safeguarding the American people and our critical infrastructure against these ongoing cyber threats, and we will use every tool at our disposal to achieve this.”
The Department of the Treasury has taken further action by sanctioning Zhou Shuai and his company, Shanghai Heiying Information Technology Company Limited (Shanghai Heiying), as part of the broader effort to counter cyber threats emanating from China.
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