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U.S. officials accused China on Tuesday of sponsoring criminal hackers who are targeting biotech firms around the world working on coronavirus vaccines and treatments, as the FBI said the Chinese government was acting like “an organized criminal syndicate.” In an indictment unsealed in Spokane, Wash., the Justice Department charged two former engineering students with hacking companies engaged in high-tech manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and gaming software development, and with targeting dissidents, clergy and human rights activists in the United States, China and Hong Kong. (Nakashima and Barrett, 7/21)

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday rolled out an 11-count indictment against two Chinese hackers allegedly involved in targeting "hundreds" of companies around the world, including most recently U.S. groups researching COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The indictment alleges that Chinese nationals Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi stole terabytes of data over ten years from companies in nations including the U.S., Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia. (Miller, 7/21)

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday introduced legislation to sanction foreign hackers involved in attempts to target and steal research on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act would allow the president to impose sanctions on foreign individuals engaging in hacking activity that compromises economic and national security or public health and freeze any American assets of these individuals. (Miller, 7/21)