US officials say Chinese state-sponsored hackers carried out cyberattacks against multiple US government agencies and critical infrastructure, including the Federal Reserve, Department of Justice, NASA and the US Senate.
According to the Justice Department, the hacking activity affected a range of federal institutions, including the Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health.
The DOJ and FBI said Wednesday that they seized two platforms allegedly used by the hackers, known as “QScan” and “QTRouter,” in an effort to disrupt their operations.
US authorities allege that a Chinese state-sponsored group identified as “QTFY” created and operated the platforms and used them in attacks against US networks.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said federal investigators had disabled the malicious software involved in what he described as Chinese government-sponsored hacking operations.
“State-sponsored malicious hackers preying on America’s critical infrastructure will be stopped and prosecuted,” Blanche said, adding that US authorities would use available tools to protect Americans.
The allegations come as US officials continue efforts to disrupt cyber operations they attribute to Chinese state-sponsored groups.
