THE Council for the European Union on Tuesday announced sanctions against three companies and two individuals for their alleged roles in hacking activities targeting EU member states. The sanctions target two Chinese companies, namely Integrity Technology Group and Anxun Information Technology, which are believed to provide products and services supporting hacking activities globally, as well as two associated Chinese individuals.
According to the Council, Integrity Technology Group has routinely provided threat actors with products used to “compromise and access devices in EU member states”, and the EU says that between 2022 and 2023 Flax Typhoon accessed at least 65 600 Internet of Things devices using its products. Anxun Information Technology, also known as I-Soon, is linked to China’s Ministry of Public Security and has been described as involved in cyber operations aligned with Beijing’s interests.
The EU also sanctioned Emennet Pasargad, the Iranian hacking group also known as Cotton Sandstorm, Marnanbridge, and Haywire Kitten, which has been linked to Iran’s IRGC-CEC and blamed for cyberattacks against Sweden’s digital infrastructure and a Swedish SMS service.