Ethical Hacking News
The U.S. Department of State has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the capture of Zhang Yu, a Chinese national accused of hacking the Microsoft Exchange Server in 2021. The offer is part of the State Department's Rewards for Justice program, which has paid out over $250 million to more than 125 individuals since its inception in 1984. Zhang, who remains at large, is wanted for his alleged role in "malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure." The FBI is seeking information on his whereabouts and has described him as a director at Shanghai Firetech Information Science and Technology. The offer is part of a broader strategy to disrupt and dismantle Chinese hacking groups that have been accused of carrying out attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure.
The U.S. Department of State has announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of Zhang Yu, a Chinese national wanted for his role in the 2021 Microsoft Exchange Server attacks. Zhang is a director at Shanghai Firetech Information Science and Technology, a company accused of collaborating with the Chinese government on cyber operations. The FBI is seeking information on Zhang's whereabouts, as the charges against him have not been tested in court. The HAFNIUM campaign, which began in late 2020, exploited flaws in Microsoft Exchange Server and targeted U.S. universities and scientists working on COVID-19 vaccines. The campaign compromised over 12,700 U.S. organizations and is believed to be a "state-sponsored" attack carried out by hackers linked to the Ministry of State Security in China.
The U.S. Department of State has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the capture of Zhang Yu, a Chinese national who has been charged in connection with the 2021 Microsoft Exchange Server attacks known as HAFNIUM. The offer is part of the State Department's Rewards for Justice program, which has paid out over $250 million to more than 125 individuals since its inception in 1984.
Zhang, who remains at large, is wanted for his alleged role in "malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure." The charges against him have not been tested in court, and the FBI is seeking information on his whereabouts. The FBI has described Zhang as a director at Shanghai Firetech Information Science and Technology, a Shanghai-based company that has been accused of collaborating with the Chinese government on cyber operations.
According to the indictment, Zhang worked on tasks assigned by the Shanghai State Security Bureau, supervised hacking by other Firetech staff, and coordinated the hacking with Xu Zewei, a second man who was arrested in Milan in July 2025 at the request of the United States. Xu is also accused of hacking U.S. critical infrastructure at the direction of the Chinese government.
The HAFNIUM campaign, which began in late 2020, exploited flaws in Microsoft Exchange Server and targeted U.S. universities and scientists working on COVID-19 vaccines, treatment, and testing. The campaign also compromised more than 12,700 U.S. organizations, and the FBI has described it as a "state-sponsored" attack carried out by hackers linked to the Ministry of State Security (MSS) in China.
Microsoft disclosed the Exchange attacks on March 2, 2021, and released fixes for four zero-day flaws, including the one known as ProxyLogon. The company has since tracked the group as Silk Typhoon and has identified a link between the HAFNIUM campaign and other hacking groups that used the same flaws.
The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice program has a long history of paying out rewards for information leading to the capture of individuals accused of cybercrimes. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid out over $250 million to more than 125 individuals. The program is designed to encourage the public to come forward with information that can help law enforcement agencies capture and prosecute individuals who have committed cybercrimes.
The offer of a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of Zhang Yu is the latest in a series of efforts by the U.S. government to crack down on cybercrime. The offer is part of a broader strategy to disrupt and dismantle Chinese hacking groups that have been accused of carrying out attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure.
The FBI has warned that China uses private companies and contractors to carry out its cyber operations, and that individuals who do so face serious consequences. The agency has also warned that the use of AI and other advanced technologies by cyber attackers is becoming increasingly common.
The offer of a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture of Zhang Yu is a significant development in the ongoing efforts to disrupt and dismantle Chinese hacking groups. The reward is part of a broader strategy to encourage the public to come forward with information that can help law enforcement agencies capture and prosecute individuals who have committed cybercrimes.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-US-Department-of-State-Offers-a-10-Million-Reward-for-Information-Leading-to-the-Capture-of-Zhang-Yu-a-Chinese-National-Accused-of-Hacking-the-Microsoft-Exchange-Server-ehn.shtml
https://thehackernews.com/2026/10/us-offers-up-to-10-million-for-tips-on.html
Published: Thu Oct 8 04:42:49 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
