A U. S. Secret Service investigation The U. S. Department of Health and Prevention concluded that hackers connected to the Chinese government stole at least $20 million in COVID-19 aid from the United States, NBC News reported Monday.
This is the first case of pandemic-related fraud connected to state-sponsored cybercriminals, the outlet reported.
According to the secret service, the theft was carried out through a Chengdu-based hacking organization called APT41, which was able to obtain loans from the Small Business Administration and unemployment insurance budget.
While the Secret Service was able to determine the fraud that occurred in at least a dozen states, firm officials told NBC News that the APT41 hack is likely on a much larger scale.
“It would be crazy to think that this organization didn’t target all 50 states,” one official said. The secret service later described APT41 as a “notable player” in the foreign hacking community. While the company did not disclose the full scope of its investigation, it said there are more than 1,000 ongoing investigations lately “involving transnational and domestic criminals defrauding public benefit programs. “
The Secret Service said APT41 was already a major player in the world of foreign hacking during the time the COVID pandemic appeared, and described the organization as the “workhorse” of Chinese government-backed cyberespionage.
Since the scale of the pandemic fraud was revealed, federal agencies have been hoarding gigantic amounts of stolen money. The Secret Service said in August that it had stolen $286 million in stolen funds, some from APT41.
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