The United States on Wednesday said it foiled the attempts of Chinese hackers to target the US Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Senate, and several other important government agencies.
The Justice Department announced in a statement that it had taken control of two hacking platforms called "QScan" and "QTRouter," which it claimed were utilised in the campaign.
The National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, and four unidentified South Korean and American businesses were listed as victims of the hackers in an affidavit.
According to the Justice Department, the platforms were operated by a Chinese company called Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, whose clients included China's military, the People's Liberation Army, and its civilian intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security.
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According to the affidavit, since at least 2018, the group's computer infrastructure has been utilised to compromise sensitive networks and key infrastructure in the United States and around the world.
Private contractors frequently carry out high-profile intrusions on behalf of different Chinese government entities, according to experts who monitor Chinese cyber activities.
Dakota Cary, a China analyst with cybersecurity firm SentinelOne told Reuters that the "number of companies offering niche offensive services has exploded over the last decade."
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