FBI seizes hacking tools it says China used to attack NASA, DOE, US Senate and other critical networks

The FBI recently dismantled a Chinese-backed hacking network that targeted critical U.S. government agencies and networks, including NASA, the U.S. Senate, the Department of Energy, and several others. The operation involved seizing two malicious platforms, QScan and QTRouter, which were used to compromise various systems. QScan is a vulnerability scanning and exploitation malware, while QTRouter is an obfuscation network that concealed the origin of cyber intrusions.

The FBI traced the creation and operation of these platforms to a group called QTFY, which is backed by the People's Republic of China and operates for a private Chinese company named Nanjing Xinjiuwei. Court documents revealed that QTFY's hackers were former members of the People's Liberation Army and received payments from the Chinese Ministry of State Security, indicating their involvement in malicious cyber activities on behalf of the Chinese government.

The FBI granted seizure warrants for three domains linked to QTFY, rendering both hacking services inoperable. This incident follows a series of court-ordered seizures against other Chinese hacking groups over the past few years, showing the ongoing efforts to counteract China's cyber threats.