The US government announced on Wednesday that it has successfully seized two domains, QScan and QTRouter, which were allegedly utilized by a China-based entity to conduct cyber espionage against American critical infrastructure. According to the Department of Justice and the FBI, these platforms were operated by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Co., a firm identified as having links to the Chinese government.

Court documents indicate that the hacking group, referred to as “QTFY,” used these platforms to target a wide array of high-profile federal institutions. While all sources agree on the involvement of these agencies, the specific list of targets varies slightly by report. The Washington Examiner includes the Department of Justice and the National Institutes of Health in its reporting, while other outlets focus primarily on NASA, the Federal Reserve, and the US Senate.

US officials characterized the operation as a significant step in countering state-sponsored malicious activity. The seized domains were reportedly used to facilitate unauthorized access to sensitive government networks, a practice that authorities claim has been ongoing since 2018. The Chinese government has not yet issued a formal response to these specific allegations, though the US Department of Justice maintains that the platforms were instrumental in enabling state-sponsored cyber threats against American interests. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities analyze the data recovered from the seized infrastructure.