US Disrupts Suspected China-Linked Hack Targeting NASA, Senate, Federal Reserve

The United States has announced the disruption of a China-linked cyber operation that allegedly targeted multiple sensitive government networks, including those belonging to NASA, the US Justice Department, the Federal Reserve and the US Senate.

The US Justice Department said the campaign relied on two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter. Authorities seized domains associated with the platforms as part of the operation. A court affidavit identified additional targets, including the Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, along with four unidentified companies based in the US and South Korea.

US Links Operation to Chinese Technology Firm

According to the Justice Department, the hacking platforms were operated by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, a firm based in China.

US authorities alleged that the company had clients connected to China’s Ministry of State Security and the People’s Liberation Army. They said the firm’s infrastructure helped hackers associated with Chinese military and intelligence services conceal their activities and gain unauthorised access to targeted networks.

The alleged operation was used to conduct cyberattacks against several US federal agencies and other sensitive organisations, the US government said. Reuters said it was unable to immediately locate contact information for Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company.

Cyber Infrastructure in Use Since 2018

A Justice Department affidavit said the infrastructure linked to the hacking platforms had been used since at least 2018 to compromise critical infrastructure and other sensitive networks in the US and elsewhere.

Cybersecurity researchers monitoring Chinese cyber activity have said private-sector contractors play an increasingly significant role in carrying out sophisticated intrusions on behalf of Chinese state agencies.

Dakota Cary, a China analyst with cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, said the number of companies offering specialised offensive cyber services has expanded significantly over the past decade.

Beijing Yet to Respond

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations.

China has consistently denied accusations that its government or security agencies are responsible for cyberattacks against foreign governments and organisations.