US disrupts Chinese hacking operation

On August 26, 2026, the United States — United States Department of Justice announced the disruption of a Chinese state-sponsored hacking operation that had breached multiple sensitive U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Justice, United States — NASA, the United States — Federal Reserve, the U.S. Senate, the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States — National Institutes of Health. The operation, attributed to a group known as QTFY, was run by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, a China-based firm whose clients included China's Mexico — Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection and the National Liberation Army. The Justice Department seized domains associated with two hacking platforms, QScan and QTRouter, which were used to compromise internet-connected devices and obfuscate the origin of attacks dating back to at least 2018. The affidavit detailed intrusions at three Department of Energy laboratories, the NIH, an HHS agency, and a U.S. security device manufacturer in September 2024, as well as an unsuccessful attempt on United States — NASA in August 2019. The FBI led the investigation, with support from federal prosecutors in California and the San Diego field office. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the importance of the action in protecting U.S. critical infrastructure. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond, and Beijing routinely denies responsibility for hacking activity. The announcement comes ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to the U.S. next month.