US Offers Ten Million Dollar Reward for Alleged Hafnium Hacker

The United States government is offering up to 10 million dollars for information leading to the whereabouts of Zhang Yu, an alleged Chinese state-sponsored hacker.

FTMQ Security, written by our newsroom10 October 2026 at 01:000 views

The United States Department of State is offering a reward of up to 10 million dollars for information on the whereabouts of Zhang Yu. SC Media, Graham Cluley, and The Hacker News all reported that the 44-year-old Chinese national is accused of being a key figure in the state-sponsored hacking group known as Hafnium. [1][2][4]

The bounty was announced following charges against Zhang Yu related to his alleged involvement in cyber operations targeting Microsoft Exchange Server infrastructure. Graham Cluley reported that the Hafnium group is also known under the alias Silk Typhoon. [2][4][5]

The reward offer is part of ongoing efforts by United States authorities to disrupt state-backed cyber threats and track individuals responsible for major corporate software breach campaigns. The Record from Recorded Future News and Security Affairs both reported that the United States posted the 10 million dollar reward for the accused hacker. [3][6]

The United States is offering up to 10 million dollars for information on Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu is a 44-year-old Chinese national linked to the Hafnium hacking group.
Hafnium is a Chinese state-sponsored group also known as Silk Typhoon.
The reward follows charges tied to major attacks against Microsoft Exchange Servers.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

[1]US offers $10 million reward for alleged HAFNIUM attacker Zhang YuSC Media, 10h ago (the report this story comes from)
[2]$10 million bounty offered for Chinese Hafnium hacker accused of Microsoft Exchange Server mega-attackGraham Cluley, 11h ago
[3]US posts $10 million reward for accused Chinese ‘Hafnium’ hackerThe Record from Recorded Future News, 2d ago
[4]U.S. Offers Up to $10 Million for Tips on Zhang Yu, Charged in HAFNIUM HacksThe Hacker News, 1d ago
[5]$10 million bounty offered for Chinese Hafnium hacker accused of Microsoft Exchange Server mega-attackBitdefender, 12h ago
[6]U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward for Alleged HAFNIUM Hacker Zhang YuSecurity Affairs, 1d ago

Background

[7]July 1966 on Wikipedia
[8]Zhang Yu on Grokipedia

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 8 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

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