Bottom line: Lawmakers demand US Commerce Department sanction hackers-for-hire to protect American citizens and companies.
What's happening: Senators John Thune and Mike Crapo, representing South Dakota and Idaho, respectively, have targeted Chinese nationals who allegedly sponsored hackers-for-hire targeting American citizens and companies, including the wife of GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers, in a Michigan swing race. The hackers-for-hire have also targeted major US companies, including IBM and Intel. The attacks, allegedly carried out by the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), were detected in October 2022.
What to do: Security leaders should prioritize threat intelligence on hackers-for-hire and report suspicious activity to the US Department of Commerce, urging the Department to sanction those responsible.