The United States said Wednesday it had disrupted a Chinese hacking campaign that allegedly breached several sensitive US government institutions, including the Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve and the US Senate.
According to the US Justice Department, the operation involved two hacking platforms known as QScan and QTRouter, which were allegedly used by China state sponsored hackers to target US networks.
US seizes hacking platforms
The Justice Department said it had seized domains linked to the two platforms as part of efforts to disrupt the cyber campaign.
US authorities said the platforms were used to facilitate attacks against government agencies and other sensitive organisations. The operation is part of a broader US effort to counter cyber threats that Washington attributes to China.
China yet to respond
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beijing has routinely denied allegations that it sponsors or supports cyberattacks against foreign governments and organisations.
The latest accusations are likely to add to already strained relations between Washington and Beijing, with cybersecurity remaining a major area of tension between the two countries.