US seizes domains it says Chinese hackers used

US law enforcement announced the seizure of internet domains it said were used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers to target government agencies, critical infrastructure and private-sector organisations.

The Justice Department and FBI said the domains were used by a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as QTFY and by hacking platforms known as QScan and QTRouter.

They said victims of QTFY computer intrusion activity included NASA, the Federal Reserve, the US Senate and the departments of energy, justice, and health and human services. They said private-sector targets included hospitals, universities, telecom providers, power companies, financial institutions and defense contractors.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said federal law enforcement had investigated and disabled what he called the PRC's malicious software.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the operation disrupted a global botnet and hacking platform used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers to target US critical infrastructure.

Court documents said QTFY offers computer hacking services to paying customers, including the Chinese Ministry of State Security and People's Liberation Army.

The United States and several other countries frequently condemn what they say is state-backed Chinese hacking activity against governments, militaries and businesses. Beijing rejects the allegations.