The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) announced Wednesday the disruption of a Chinese hacking operation that targeted its internal network and other federal agencies. The government seized two hacking platforms, known as "QScan" and "QTRouter," which officials stated were used to infiltrate sensitive U.S. infrastructure.
The operation was allegedly conducted by a state-sponsored group working for Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, a firm based in China. According to a DOJ statement, the platforms were used to fulfill requirements for clients including the Chinese Ministry of State Security and the People’s Liberation Army.
A court affidavit unsealed in the Southern District of California identified several targets of the campaign, including NASA, the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Senate, and the Department of Energy. Other targeted entities included the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and various private sector organizations such as hospital networks, power companies, and financial institutions.
Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the infrastructure managed by the Chinese firm has been used to compromise sensitive networks globally since 2018. FBI Director Kash Patel noted that the seizure was part of an ongoing effort to defend U.S. cyberspace under the current administration's cyber strategy. The Chinese government has historically denied allegations of hacking U.S. networks; the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The scale of the operation involves networks that have been subject to compromise for approximately eight years, dating back to 2018. While the DOJ did not specify the exact number of individuals whose data may have been accessed, the agencies and sectors listed—ranging from the U.S. Senate to national financial institutions—represent infrastructure that serves the entire U.S. population. The Federal Reserve, for example, oversees the banking system for millions of households, while the Department of Energy manages the national power grid.
For the average citizen, these types of state-sponsored operations often go unnoticed until a breach results in service interruptions or data leaks. However, this seizure by the FBI and DOJ represents a legal and technical intervention intended to prevent future disruptions to electricity, healthcare billing, or telecommunications. The announcement comes just weeks before a scheduled meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Trump in September 2026. This timeline suggests that cybersecurity and state-sponsored espionage will remain a central point of tension in U.S.-China diplomatic relations heading into the summit.