US says Chinese hackers broke into Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve, Senate, and more

US authorities have disclosed that Chinese state-sponsored hackers infiltrated multiple American government agencies and departments. These agencies include NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and the US Senate. The breach was carried out using a large network of compromised Internet of Things (IoT) devices that obscured the hackers' true location.

The Chinese hackers established a platform called QScan and QTRouter to detect and infect internet-connected devices and use them as part of a proxy network to infiltrate networks without being detected. The hackers were hired by the Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company to create and operate the QScan and QTRouter systems.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the disruption of this global botnet and hacking platform, stating that the operation was successful due to the efforts of FBI and DOJ partners. This latest action is part of a broader initiative to disrupt Chinese cyber activities and protect US critical infrastructure. Previous interventions included removing the PlugX malware from thousands of US computers and disrupting Chinese botnets that exploited millions of unsecured IoT devices.