U.S.
officials have revised earlier claims that several American government agencies
were hacked by Chinese hackers. The Justice Department now says the agencies
were targets of a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group, but only some were
actually compromised. The FBI says an attempted breach of NASA was unsuccessful
after the agency patched the targeted software.
The U.S.
Justice Department has corrected its earlier statement on a Chinese
cyber-espionage campaign. The department now says agencies including NASA, the
Federal Reserve and the U.S. Senate were among the targets of the Chinese
state-sponsored hacking group identified as QTFY.
The
distinction is significant. Officials say not every organization identified in
the earlier statement was successfully breached
The DOJ
says its original release described all the agencies as victims, while the FBI
affidavit made clear that some were only targeted
WHAT
CHANGED?
Earlier
claim: Agencies were described as victims
Revised
claim: Agencies were targets
Confirmed:
Only some organizations were compromised
NASA:
Attempted breach was unsuccessful
According to an FBI affidavit, the group has targeted U.S. federal networks
since at least 2018.
The
affidavit names NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Department of Energy, the
Justice Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National
Institutes of Health and the U.S. Senate among the targets
The FBI
says the attempted NASA breach failed because the agency had patched the
software targeted by the hackers
The affidavit also alleges successful intrusions in September 2024 involving
three Department of Energy national laboratories, the NIH, an HHS agency and a
U.S. security-device manufacturer.
CYBER
ATTACK TIMELINE
2018 —
Alleged targeting of U.S. federal networks begins
SEPT. 2024
— Alleged intrusions at DOE labs, NIH and HHS agency
MAY 2024 —
Successful data thefts from unnamed defense contractors, financial institutions
and universities
MARCH 2026
— Unsuccessful attempts involving Senate and a U.S. hospital
AUG. 2026
— U.S. identifies QTFY and seizes related internet domains
China has rejected the U.S. allegations. A Chinese Embassy spokesperson accused
Washington of using cybersecurity claims to smear or discredit China.
The FBI
and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had not immediately
responded to requests for clarification, according to Reuters