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The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program lists an offer of up to $10 million for information that leads to the identification or location of Zhang Yu, a Chinese national the U.S. has charged over intrusions linked to the HAFNIUM campaign. The offer is a ceiling, not a guaranteed payment, and it applies only to information that meets RFJ’s qualifying scope. Zhang has not been arrested, and the charges against him are allegations that a court has not tested.
What the reward covers
According to the RFJ listing for “Zhang Yu (SSSB),” checked October 8, 2026, the offer applies to information leading to the identification or location of a person who, while acting at a foreign government’s direction or control, takes part in specified malicious cyber activity against U.S. critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Zhang Yu is the individual the page names. The listing describes him as a Chinese national and director at Shanghai Firetech Information Science and Technology Company, Ltd., and says he remains at large.
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Three points determine what a reward tip is worth:
- The amount is a maximum. “Up to $10 million” sets a ceiling. RFJ does not say any particular tip will receive that figure, and no payout is reported in the material reviewed.
- The information must be specific. The offer is tied to identifying or locating the named individual or a qualifying actor, not to general knowledge about the case.
- The page is a live listing. Its terms, target description and status can change, so readers should check the RFJ page itself rather than rely on a copy.
Three things that are easy to confuse
Coverage of this case often blends three separate kinds of official information. They come from different agencies and carry different dates.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall| Item | What it is | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Reward offer | Up to $10 million for qualifying information about Zhang Yu | RFJ listing, checked October 8, 2026 |
| Indictment | Nine-count charges against Zhang and Xu Zewei; allegations only | Returned November 2023; unsealed and announced by DOJ July 8, 2025 |
| Case status | Xu extradited from Italy and presented in federal court in Houston; Zhang reported at large | DOJ update dated April 27, 2026 |
The reward and the case status can change independently. A reward listing can stay active after an arrest, and the status of either defendant can change after the most recent dated update cited here.
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What the indictment alleges
The Justice Department says Zhang and Xu were charged in a nine-count indictment. The alleged conduct runs from February 2020 through June 2021. According to DOJ’s account, the two men worked together on two related strands of activity:
- COVID-19 research intrusions. DOJ alleges that in early 2020 they targeted U.S. university researchers working on COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and testing. DOJ says they acted under direction from officers of the Shanghai State Security Bureau, part of the Ministry of State Security of the People’s Republic of China.
- Microsoft Exchange Server intrusions. From late 2020 into 2021, DOJ alleges Xu and co-conspirators exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server in activity associated with HAFNIUM. DOJ describes Zhang as working with Xu on those intrusions and says web shells were installed on some compromised servers.
DOJ also says the wider campaign compromised thousands of computers worldwide. These are the agency’s allegations as stated in its announcements; the underlying evidence has not been tested in court in the material reviewed.
What HAFNIUM refers to
HAFNIUM is a label used for a cluster of intrusion activity against internet-facing email servers. In this case, DOJ associates the label with the Exchange Server exploitation described above. The government’s count of victims is attributed to FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman. In the DOJ announcement of July 8, 2025, he said that through HAFNIUM the Chinese Communist Party targeted over 60,000 U.S. entities and successfully victimized more than 12,700 to steal sensitive information. The announcement does not describe how those figures were compiled, so they should be read as the FBI’s stated numbers rather than independently verified totals.
Xu Zewei’s extradition
DOJ announced Xu’s arrest in Italy on July 8, 2025, alongside the unsealing of the indictment. In its April 27, 2026 update, DOJ reported that Xu was extradited from Italy on April 25, 2026, and appeared in federal court in Houston. DOJ said he remained in custody pending a detention hearing.
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That is the most recent case update reviewed here. It is not a live custody check, so Xu’s status after that date may have changed. Zhang Yu was not part of the extradition, and DOJ’s April 2026 update described him as still at large.
How to report information
Readers with information about Zhang Yu’s whereabouts have two official channels:
- Call the FBI. DOJ directs tips about Zhang Yu’s location to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
- Use the RFJ reporting options. The RFJ listing for Zhang Yu sets out its own reporting methods, including a Tor-based channel. Use the links on that official page rather than third-party forms or contacts.
Tips reported through these channels do not guarantee a reward. Eligibility depends on the information meeting the RFJ criteria described above.
Allegations, not findings
The indictment is a formal accusation, and DOJ says so directly. In its July 8, 2025 announcement, the department stated: “An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” Any statement that Zhang committed the alleged acts should therefore be framed as what the government charges, not as an established fact.
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Xu’s extradition moves the case into the court process, but it does not decide the charges. Those questions remain for a court to resolve.
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