by Kevin Killough
The Justice Department said Wednesday it had seized internet domains used by two Chinese hacking platforms to hack into the agency as well as NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Senate and other sensitive government agencies.
The two platformers were called “QScan” and “QTRouter,” the DOJ said.
The state-sponsored group known as “QTFY,” which the DOJ said was employed by China-based Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, created and operated the platforms.
The group offered tools that allowed malicious actors to engage in computer intrusion activities while concealing the hackers’ country of origin, the DOJ said.
Other federal agencies that were victims of QTFY computer intrusion activity were the Energy Department, Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health, according to the DOJ.
“State-sponsored malicious hackers preying on America’s critical infrastructure will be stopped and prosecuted. We are here to ensure security for the American people and will use every tool we have to keep that promise,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
Kash Patel, FBI director, said, “These tools were used by PRC cyber actors to hide the origin of their attacks. Thanks to the work of FBI San Diego, FBI Cyber Division, and DOJ partners, we seized adversary infrastructure and shut these platforms down.
“Today’s action is just the latest technical operation against PRC-sponsored hacking – and in support of President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America, the FBI is surging efforts to shape adversary behavior and defend the homeland in cyberspace,” he added.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg noted, “These court-authorized seizures deny PRC-linked hackers access to tools they use to mount online attacks against our Nation’s critical infrastructure.”
According to court documents, QTFY offers computer hacking services to its paying customers, which include the People’s Republic of China Ministry of State Security and the People’s Liberation Army.
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Kevin Killough is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Todd Blanche” by DOJ.
