The US Justice Department announced Thursday the indictment of members of "an extremely sophisticated" Chinese hacking group that allegedly stole the personal information of more than 78 million people from health insurer Anthem in 2015.

The department said the group was behind a campaign that targeted the computer systems of four distinct US industry groups, slowly and stealthily removing corporate secrets and personal data.

"The allegations in the indictment unsealed today outline the activities of a brazen China-based computer hacking group that committed one of the worst data breaches in history," said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski.

The announcement came during heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade and over China's alleged program to steal American corporate secrets in order to quicken China's own technological development.

The indictment named one member of the hacking group, Wang Fujie, 32, and said other members were also charged in the indictment, including some whose real identities were not known.

The Justice Department did not say that the group had any connections to the government, and did not say how the stolen data were used.

It said that besides the Anthem hack, the group was able to enter the systems of three other unnamed businesses, including one in the technology sector, another in basic industrial materials, and one in communications.

The hackers used phishing emails to trick company employees into opening a path for them to enter the systems.

They would then install malware and other tools on the systems to maintain backdoor access and avoid being discovered so they could explore for valuable data.

From health insurer Anthem they reaped the personal identification data on 78.8 million individuals, everything from addresses and identification numbers to their employment and income data.

"The defendants sometimes patiently waited months before taking further action, eventually engaging in reconnaissance by searching the network for data of interest," the Justice Department said.

Wang and the unnamed defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, wire fraud, and intentionally damaging protected computers.

US blocks China Mobile, citing national security
Washington (AFP) May 9, 2019 - US regulators on Thursday denied a request by China Mobile to operate in the US market and provide international telecommunications services, saying links to the Chinese government pose a national security risk.

The Federal Communications Commission said that because of China Mobile USA's ownership and control by the Chinese government, allowing it into the US market "would raise substantial and serious national security and law enforcement risks."

The decision brings the Chinese telecoms giant's eight-year effort to crack the US market to an end, but was not really a surprise since FCC Chairman Ajit Pai had publicly opposed the company's application last month.

China Mobile -- the world's largest mobile operator with nearly 930 million customers as of February -- first filed an application for permission to operate in the United States in 2011.

The five-member FCC said in a statement that the decision was made after "extensive review" and "close consultation" with national security and law enforcement agencies.

It also marks the first instance in which executive branch agencies have recommended that the FCC deny an application due to national security and law enforcement concerns, the statement said.

The move comes as Chinese tech firms -- such as Huawei and ZTE -- have faced stiff resistance from US government agencies, which have described them as security threats.

- Wider trade battle -

ZTE came close to collapse last year after American companies were banned from selling it vital components over its continued dealings with Iran and North Korea.

Federal authorities unveiled sweeping charges against Huawei in January for allegedly stealing technology and violating US sanctions on Iran.

The company has also been under fire as it faces a global US campaign to blacklist Huawei over espionage fears.

Washington has barred the Chinese networking equipment company Huawei from developing the new ultra-fast 5G mobile network in the United States and has blocked US government purchases of its services.

Defense of intellectual property in China and getting fair access to that country's markets have long been points of concern for US tech companies. They are also considered hard-to-fix problems when it come to trade between the US and China.

Meanwhile, technology has become increasingly vital to national security and economies.

Denial of the China Mobile request came as US President Donald Trump held out hopes of salvaging a trade deal with China, just hours before Beijing's negotiators were due to return to the bargaining table amid a sudden flare-up in hostilities.

Since last year, the two sides have exchanged tariffs on more than $360 billion in two-way trade, gutting US agricultural exports to China and weighing on both countries' manufacturing sectors.

The International Monetary Fund also repeated its warning on Thursday that the trade battle between the world's top economies was a "threat" to global growth.

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