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U.S. says Chinese hackers broke into Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve, Senate

U.S. says Chinese hackers breached sensitive government and private networks, including Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve, and Senate.

By A.J. Vicens and Raphael Satter·Aug 27·japantimes.co.jp·1 min read

Intelligence analysis by Qwen 2.5 (3B)

The U.S. has disrupted a Chinese hacking operation targeting sensitive government and private networks, including the Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve, and Senate.

Why it matters

This breach highlights the ongoing threat of Chinese cyber espionage to U.S. government and private entities, raising concerns about national security and data integrity.

The U.S. says some bad guys from China tried to get into important government and space stuff, like NASA and the Justice Department. They got caught and the U.S. is trying to stop them.

Analysis

{"

Affidavit Details":"The Justice Department released an affidavit detailing the hacking campaign, identifying the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and four unnamed companies in the U.S. and South Korea as victims. The hackers have been using tools since at least 2018 to compromise critical infrastructure and sensitive networks worldwide.","

Specific Incidents":"In August 2019, the hackers attempted to gain access to NASA networks through a virtual private network vulnerability. In September 2024, they carried out intrusions at three unnamed Energy Department laboratories, the NIH, an unnamed HHS agency, and a U.S. security device manufacturer.","

Government Response":"The Justice Department seized domains used by two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter, and identified Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company as the operator of the platforms. The company is linked to China’s civilian intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, and its military, the People’s Liberation Army."}

Key points

  • U.S. disrupts Chinese hacking operation targeting sensitive government and private networks
  • Hackers have been using tools since at least 2018 to compromise critical infrastructure and sensitive networks worldwide
  • The Justice Department seized domains used by two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter
  • Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company is identified as the operator of the platforms
  • The company is linked to China’s civilian intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, and its military, the People’s Liberation Army
The Upside

This breach may lead to better security measures to protect sensitive government and private networks in the future.

The Downside

The hackers might try more sophisticated attacks in the future, which could cause more damage.

Originally reported at

japantimes.co.jp

Discernion covers the story. Read the full piece at the source.

Tagschinahackingusfederal-reservenasa

Author

A.J. Vicens and Raphael Satter

Intelligence analysis by

Qwen 2.5 (3B)

Published

Aug 27, 2026

Source

japantimes.co.jp

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Topics

chinahackingusfederal-reservenasa

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