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(This Jan. 17 story has been corrected to fix Kecheng's name in paragraphs 3 and 4)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on alleged hacker Yin Kecheng and cybersecurity company Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., accusing both of being involved in a series of hacks against American telecom companies.
The intrusions, known under the name Salt Typhoon, have allegedly exposed a huge swathe of Americans' call logs to Chinese spies and rattled the U.S. intelligence community. In some cases, hackers are alleged to have intercepted conversations, including between prominent U.S. politicians and government officials. Some lawmakers have described them as the worst telecom hacks in U.S. history.
In a statement, the Treasury described Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co. as a hacking company with strong ties to China's Ministry of State Security, an intelligence agency. It said that Yin Kecheng was based in Shanghai, had worked as a hacker for more than a decade, and also had ties to the MSS. It further alleged he was tied to the recent breach at the U.S. Treasury.
Reuters was not immediately able to reach Yin Kecheng or Sichuan Juxinhe. China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beijing routinely denies responsibility for cyberespionage campaigns.
(Reporting by Caitlin Webber, Editing by Franklin Paul and Rod Nickel)
