DOJ Says Chinese Hackers Targeted US Federal Agencies

The Department of Justice on Wednesday announced several federal agencies were victims of a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group.

The Details: In a statement, the Justice Department (DOJ) said it seized hacking platforms "QScan" and "QTRouter," involved in the hacking of the Federal Reserve, US Senate, DOJ, NASA, the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies. Other targets reportedly included hospital networks, US military networks, power companies and financial institutions. According to the statement, the hacking platforms were operated by a state-run group employed by Chinese-based firm, Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Co., which it said "target[ed] US critical infrastructure and other sensitive networks" for clients like the Ministry of State Security and the People's Liberation Army.

For Context: According to an FBI affidavit, the hacking began in 2018 and continued through 2026. The Hill (Center bias) reported that in 2024, the Treasury Department charged 10 Chinese hackers-for-hire and two of the country's officials in an attempt to steal data from American entities.

'Exploitation at Scale': Many outlets reported on the extent of the hacking operation. Epoch Times (Lean Right) reported on the QCan capabilities to "find vulnerable systems and exploit them." The New York Post (Right) said the hacking services were able to infect thousands of devices across the globe. CNN (Lean Left) said that assessments of the damage will likely remain private due to security concerns.

'Cat-and-Mouse Game': CNN reported that cybersecurity has been a "source of simmering tension for years" between the US and China. USA Today (Lean Left) said that Chinese hacks and US disruptions have "become a virtually routine cat-and-mouse game" over the past decade It quoted a former senior attorney in the DOJ who said the decision to publicize the hacking scheme looks "like a 'name-and-shame' campaign where the U.S. essentially publicly calls out foreign hackers to let them know that we're onto them." The Hill said that the Chinese government "routinely denies allegations of hacking US networks."

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