U.S. Seizes Domains of Hacking Platforms Qscan and Qtrouter Used to Target Critical Infrastructure

In a statement, the department said it seized the domains to deny malicious cyber actors access to two hacking platforms, known as QScan and QTRouter, used to target vital U.S. infrastructure and other sensitive networks. The platforms were created by a group called QTFY, whose cyberattacks targeted NASA, the U.S. space agency, as well as the U.S. departments of Energy, Justice and Health, and the Senate, according to the statement. The seizure is "the latest in a series of technical operations to dismantle state-sponsored cybercrime activities by the People's Republic of China, whatever their nature, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the statement." "These tools were used by Chinese cyber actors to hide the origin of their attacks, FBI Director Kash Patel explained.

"They allowed them in particular to mask the fact that these computer intrusions came from China, according to the statement. Among QTFY's clients are China's Ministry of State Security and the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the department said. In June, U.S. authorities announced related actions against other Chinese-linked hacking infrastructure.