US Disrupts Chinese Hacking Operation Targeting Government Agencies

The US Justice Department has announced that it has disrupted a Chinese hacking operation that breached sensitive government agencies, including the DOJ, NASA, Federal Reserve, and Senate. The hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter, were used to target critical infrastructure in the US.

A court-authorized seizure made these platforms inoperable, according to the Justice Department's statement. The People's Republic of China state-sponsored group, QTFY, employed by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, created and operated the two hacking platforms.

The victims of QTFY's computer intrusion activity include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Federal Reserve, Department of Energy, Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and the US Senate. Attorney General Todd Blanche said that state-sponsored malicious hackers preying on America's critical infrastructure will be stopped and prosecuted.

The FBI played a key role in disrupting 'a global botnet and hacking platform used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers to target U.S. critical infrastructure.' According to court documents, QTFY offers computer hacking services to its paying customers, including China's Ministry of State Security and People's Liberation Army.