China has condemned U.S. sanctions imposed against Beijing-based cybersecurity firm Integrity Technology Group, also known as Yongxin Zhicheng, over its alleged involvement in Flax Typhoon attacks against various organizations across the U.S., according to The Associated Press.
Integrity Technology has refuted the accusations while the attribution of such attacks to China was noted by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun to be part of the U.S.'s smear campaign against Beijing. "For some time now, the U.S. side has been playing up so-called Chinese cyber attacks and has even initiated illegal unilateral sanctions against China. China firmly opposes this and will take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," said Guo. Such pushback against U.S. sanctions — which are believed to not be linked to a recent Chinese state-backed attack against the Treasury Department — comes as the country's National Cyber Security Information Center reported ongoing cyber intrusions from Florida, California, Mexico, Singapore, Vietnam, Turkey, and the Netherlands.
