The United States announced Wednesday that it had disrupted a Chinese hacking operation responsible for break-ins at multiple sensitive government agencies, including the U.S. Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve, and the U.S. Senate.
The Justice Department stated that it seized domains associated with two hacking platforms, identified as “QScan” and “QTRouter,” which were used in the campaign. An affidavit revealed that the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and four unnamed companies in the United States and South Korea were among the victims.
The affidavit indicated that the compromised computer infrastructure had been used to infiltrate critical infrastructure and other sensitive networks in the U.S. and globally since at least 2018.
According to the Justice Department, the platforms were operated by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, a firm based in China. The department asserted that the company’s clients included China’s civilian intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, and its military branch, the People’s Liberation Army.
Experts familiar with Chinese cyber activities suggest that private contractors frequently conduct significant intrusions on behalf of various Chinese government bodies. Dakota Cary, a China analyst with SentinelOne, noted that the number of companies offering specialized offensive cyber services has grown substantially over the past decade.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has consistently denied responsibility for such hacking activities.