US authorities seize San Diego domains to disrupt China-linked cyber hacking platform
Federal agents in San Diego confiscated domain names used by a Chinese state-sponsored hacking platform that had targeted agencies such as NASA and the Federal Reserve since 2018.
Federal law-enforcement officials announced the court-authorized seizure of two domain names, QScan and QTRouter, that were integral to a Chinese state-sponsored hacking platform known as QTFY. The operation, led by U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon and FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily, targeted infrastructure that had been used since 2018 to compromise thousands of devices and mask malicious activity against agencies such as NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Departments of Energy, Justice and Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Senate.
The platforms operated through Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Co., providing cyber services to Chinese intelligence and military units. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the action demonstrates a commitment to stop state-backed hackers, while FBI officials pledged continued disruption of nation-state threats. Legal scholars from the Edwin Meese III Institute and Advancing American Freedom praised the court-driven approach and called for a tougher stance toward China’s cyber activities.
Why it matters
It shows U.S. law-enforcement can disrupt foreign cyber threats targeting critical government systems.
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