EU sanctions Chinese and Iranian companies for cyberattacks

As reported by Bleeping Computer, the Council of the European Union has imposed sanctions on two Chinese companies and an Iranian entity, along with two individuals, for their involvement in cyberattacks that targeted critical infrastructure and devices across multiple EU member states.

The sanctioned Chinese companies, Integrity Technology Group and Anxun Information Technology, are accused of providing technical support and hacking services that compromised over 65,000 devices and targeted critical infrastructure. Integrity Technology Group was linked by the FBI to the Raptor Train botnet, operated by the Chinese state-sponsored actor Flax Typhoon, which infected 260,000 devices. Anxun Information Technology, also known as i-Soon, was charged by the U.S. Justice Department for advertising hacker-for-hire services.

The sanctioned Iranian company, Emennet Pasargad, is linked to influence campaigns, hijacking advertising billboards during the Paris Olympics to spread misinformation, and offering stolen personal data from the French magazine Charlie Hebdo. Two co-founders of Anxun Information Technology were also sanctioned. These sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans for individuals. The EU began imposing cyber sanctions in 2019, and currently, 19 individuals and seven entities are targeted.

Source: Bleeping Computer