The Treasury Department has announced sanctions in connection with a massive Chinese hack of American telecommunications companies and a breach of its own computer network.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Yin Kecheng, a Shanghai-based hacker for his role in the recent Treasury breach and a company associated with the Salt Typhoon threat group.

A Chinese hack compromised even more U.S. telecoms than previously known, including Charter Communications , Consolidated Communications (CCII.UL) and Windstream, the Wall Street Journal reported late on Saturday,

The Treasury Department imposes sanctions following a significant Chinese cyberattack on US telecom firms and its own network breach.

U.S. intelligence says these China-backed hackers are among those laying the groundwork for future conflict with the United States.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on alleged hacker Yin Kecheng and cybersecurity company Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., accusing both of being involved in a series of hacks against American telecom companies.

The State and Treasury Departments say Chinese cybersecurity vendor Sichuan Juxinhe is behind the hacks into numerous US telecommunications companies.

The Biden administration on Friday announced sanctions on two Chinese entities accused of cyberattacks, including a firm it said is directly involved in the recent espionage campaign against US telecommunications firms and a hacker behind the recent breach of Treasury Department computers.