- UK exposes two China-based companies that have carried out
cyberattacks against the UK and its allies
- New sanctions clamp down on attempts to undermine UK security
and prosperity
- Sanctioned businesses had launched global cyberattacks
against over 80 government and private industry IT systems
Two tech companies based in China have been sanctioned today
[Tuesday 9 December] for reckless and indiscriminate
cyberattacks:
-
Sichuan Anxun Information Technology Co. Ltd (known as
i-Soon) for targeting over 80 government and private industry
IT systems across the world, and for supporting others
planning to carry out malicious cyber activity.
-
Integrity Technology Group Incorporated (known as Integrity
Tech) for controlling and managing a covert cyber network and
providing technical assistance for others to carry out
cyberattacks. Targets have included UK public sector IT
systems.
I-Soon and Integrity Tech are examples of the threat posed by the
cyber industry in China, which includes information security
companies, data brokers (that collect and sell personal data),
and ‘hackers for hire'. Some of these companies provide cyber
services to the Chinese intelligence services.
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assesses that it
is almost certain that this ‘ecosystem' or complex network of
private sector actors, supports Chinese state-linked cyber
operations.
The announcement follows the August 2025
exposure by the UK and international partners of three
China-based companies linked to the cyber-espionage campaign
known as SALT TYPHOON. Combined, they highlight the vast scale of
cyberattacks by China-based companies targeting governments,
telecommunications, military institutions, and public services
worldwide.
These cyberattacks from unrestrained actors in China go against
agreed UN cyber principles. The measures announced today are
designed to reduce the risk of such threats to the UK's security
and broader international stability.
As the Prime Minister set out recently in a
speech at the Guildhall, protecting our security is
non-negotiable and the first duty of the government. The
UK recognises that China poses a series of threats to UK
national security. China is also a fellow permanent member of the
UN Security Council, the world's second largest economy and a
nuclear power which has delivered almost a third of global
economic growth over the past decade. We challenge threats
robustly, enabling us to pursue cooperation where it is in our
interest.
Notes to Editors
- In August 2025, the UK alongside 12 other countries co-sealed
a cyber security advisory linking China-based technology
companies to some of the activities associated with a China
state-affiliated APT group (commonly known as SALT TYPHOON).
These companies are: Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co. Ltd,
Beijing Huanyu Tianqiong Information Technology Co., and Sichuan
Zhixin Ruije Network Technology Co. Ltd.
- This activity targeted governments, telecommunications,
transportation, and military infrastructure globally, and sought
to provide Chinese intelligence services with the capability to
identify and track targets' communications and movements
worldwide.
- Together with France, the UK continues to lead the Pall Mall
Process, an international initiative which seeks to establish a
framework for responsible behaviour for those involved in the
rapidly growing market in commercial cyber intrusion
capabilities.
- The UK has consistently promoted the UN normative framework
for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. The UK remains the
first and only country to publish guidelines for its National
Cyber Force detailing the principles that we adhere to. We
firmly believe that states should use cyber capabilities in a
responsible manner, whether commercial or otherwise.
