The United States has announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Guan Tianfeng, a Chinese national, and his co-conspirators, who are wanted for hacking computer firewalls. The U.S. State Department made the announcement on Tuesday, revealing that Tianfeng, 30, has been charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud. He is believed to be residing in Sichuan Province, China.

The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on the company Tianfeng worked for, Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co. Ltd., as part of its efforts to combat cybercrime.

According to the indictment, Tianfeng and his associates at Sichuan Silence exploited a vulnerability in firewalls sold by the UK-based cybersecurity company Sophos Ltd. They infected tens of thousands of network security devices with malware designed to steal sensitive information from victims worldwide.

In April 2020, the group simultaneously attacked 81,000 firewall devices globally, compromising data such as usernames and passwords while also attempting to install ransomware. More than 23,000 of the affected devices were located in the United States, including 36 safeguarding critical infrastructure systems, the Treasury Department said.

“The vulnerability exploited by Guan Tianfeng and his co-conspirators affected firewalls owned by businesses across the U.S.,” said FBI agent Herbert Stapleton. “If Sophos had not quickly identified the issue and responded, the damage could have been far more severe.”

The indictment also alleges that Sichuan Silence sold the stolen data and hacking services to Chinese businesses and government entities, including the Ministry of Public Security.

A representative who answered a call to a phone number listed for Sichuan Silence declined to comment on the sanctions, stating that the company “did not accept interviews.”