The United States announced that it had disrupted a Chinese cyber-espionage campaign linked to breaches of several sensitive government agencies, including the US Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve and the US Senate.
In a statement, the Justice Department reported that it had seized domains used by two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter, which it identified as part of the operation. An affidavit named the US Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and four unnamed companies in the US and South Korea among the victims. Reuters was unable to immediately find contact information for the company.
The Justice Department said that the platforms were run by the China-based Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, whose clients included China’s civilian intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, and its military, the People’s Liberation Army.
Rise of Private Contractors in Chinese Cyber Operations
Recent observations indicate an increasing reliance on private contractors by various Chinese government agencies for cyber intrusions. Experts in the field have noted a significant growth in the number of companies providing specialized offensive cyber services over the past decade. Dakota Cary, a China analyst at the cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, highlighted this trend, stating, “Over the last decade, the number of companies offering niche offensive services has exploded.” This shift underscores the evolving landscape of cyber operations in China, where state and private sectors are increasingly intertwined.
