US says Chinese hackers breached Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve, Senate

The US said on Wednesday it had disrupted an alleged Chinese hacking operation that targeted sensitive government agencies, including the Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve and the Senate.

The Justice Department said it seized internet domains used by two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter, which were allegedly part of the cyber campaign. According to a court affidavit, the operation also targeted the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and several unnamed companies in the US and South Korea.

US authorities said the platforms were operated by China-based Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, whose clients allegedly included China’s Ministry of State Security and the People’s Liberation Army.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it was not familiar with the specific allegations but maintained that China firmly opposes and combats cyberattacks. It accused the US of using cybersecurity issues to “smear or discredit China” and of misusing national security concerns to impose discriminatory restrictions on Chinese companies.

According to the affidavit, the hackers had been targeting critical infrastructure and sensitive networks in the US and elsewhere since at least 2018. Not all of the attempted intrusions were successful.

The group allegedly tried unsuccessfully to access NASA networks in August 2019 by exploiting a virtual private network vulnerability. In September 2024, it allegedly breached three unnamed Energy Department laboratories, the NIH, an unnamed HHS agency and a US security device manufacturer.

A joint cybersecurity advisory by the FBI, NSA and US Cyber Command detailed other alleged hacking attempts, including successful data theft from unnamed defense contractors, financial institutions and universities in May 2024.

The hackers also allegedly scanned for vulnerabilities and unsuccessfully attempted to access networks belonging to the US Senate and a US hospital in March 2026.

The case comes amid growing concerns over alleged Chinese-linked cyber operations targeting US government agencies, lawmakers, telecommunications companies and private-sector networks. Cybersecurity experts say private contractors increasingly carry out sophisticated offensive operations on behalf of Chinese government agencies.

“Over the last decade, the number of companies offering niche offensive services has exploded,” said Dakota Cary, a China analyst with cybersecurity company SentinelOne.