FBI cyber boss: China's hacker-for-hire ecosystem 'out of control'
The FBI's cyber division assistant director, Brett Leatherman, stated that China's hacker-for-hire ecosystem has become 'out of control,' with private firms conducting cyber operations on behalf of Chinese intelligence while providing plausible deniability. One such alleged contractor, Xu Zewei, was extradited from Italy to the U.S. and faces nine hacking-related charges tied to state-directed cyber intrusions. The U.S. government warns that these activities create a less secure global digital environment and that operatives will face consequences beyond China's borders.
- ▪FBI assistant director Brett Leatherman described China's hacker-for-hire ecosystem as 'out of control' due to its widespread and state-linked cyber activities.
- ▪Xu Zewei, a Chinese national, was extradited from Italy to the United States and charged with nine hacking-related crimes.
- ▪U.S. prosecutors allege that Xu acted under the direction of China's Ministry of State Security and Shanghai State Security Bureau to hack thousands of computers between 2020 and 2021.
- ▪Some of the cyberattacks Xu is linked to were part of the 2021 Hafnium (Silk Typhoon) campaign that exploited Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities, compromising hundreds of thousands of servers globally.
- ▪Leatherman warned that hackers operating under the assumption of protection within China will not be shielded once they cross international borders.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Security FBI cyber boss: China's hacker-for-hire ecosystem 'out of control' One alleged cyber contractor was extradited to the US over the weekend Jessica Lyons Thu 30 Apr 2026 // 19:30 UTC China's "hacker-for-hire ecosystem has gotten out of control," according to Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI's cyber division. This ecosystem includes private technology companies operating at the behest of the PRC's intelligence agencies while allowing Beijing to maintain plausible deniability. "Motivated by profit, this network of private companies and contractors in China cast a wide net to identify vulnerable computers, exploit those computers, and then identify information that it could sell directly or indirectly to the PRC government," Leatherman told reporters on Thursday.
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