US disrupts China-backed hacking operation targeting Justice Department, NASA
What's the story
The US has disrupted a major China-backed hacking operation that targeted several sensitive government agencies, including US Justice Department, NASA, and the US Senate. The operation was carried out using two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter. The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it had seized the domains associated with these platforms.
Platform operators
Hacking platforms operated by China-based firm
The Justice Department revealed that the hacking platforms were operated by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, a China-based firm.
The company's clients included China's civilian intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, and its military arm, the People's Liberation Army.
These entities allegedly used the company's services to mask their operations and launch attacks on various US federal agencies.
Campaign details
Cyberattack on US government agencies since 2018
The Justice Department's affidavit revealed that the hacking campaign has been ongoing since at least 2018.
It targeted critical infrastructure and other sensitive networks in the US and around the world.
Victims of this cyberattack included not just NASA, but also the Federal Reserve and several departments within the US government such as Energy, Justice, Health, and Human Services.
Botnet operations
Botnet used to hack into computers across America
The botnet, which was allegedly used by the Chinese government to hack into computers across America, was run by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Tech.
The company created and operated a network of thousands of compromised internet-connected devices.
This botnet served as an obfuscation network, hiding the malicious traffic of hackers and making their activities harder to detect.