US Clarifies NASA, Senate Targeted, Not Breached
US authorities have clarified that a China-linked state-sponsored hacking group targeted several major federal agencies, including NASA and the US Senate, but did not successfully breach all of them. The correction follows an earlier government statement that inaccurately described every targeted agency as a victim of successful intrusion.
NASA and US Senate Targeted but Not Breached
An FBI investigation found that hackers attempted to compromise NASA systems, but the intrusion failed after the agency patched the software being targeted.
A separate attempt to access the US Senate’s network in March 2026 was also unsuccessful. The Federal Reserve, Department of Energy, Justice Department, Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health were among other federal networks targeted.
US authorities stressed that being targeted did not necessarily mean a network was successfully compromised.
QTFY Hackers Breached Other US Networks
Investigators allege that the China-linked group, identified as QTFY, has conducted cyber operations against US networks since at least 2018.
Authorities said successful intrusions occurred at three Department of Energy national laboratories, an NIH facility and a Health and Human Services agency in September 2024.
Hackers also allegedly stole information from unnamed defence contractors, financial institutions and universities.
US Disables QScan and QTRouter Platforms
American authorities have seized domains supporting two hacking platforms known as QScan and QTRouter.
Investigators allege QScan compromised internet-connected devices that were subsequently incorporated into QTRouter, allowing hackers to disguise the Chinese origin of malicious traffic.
The US says the court-authorised seizures rendered the identified infrastructure inoperable.
China has rejected accusations of state-sponsored cyberattacks and accused Washington of using cybersecurity allegations to discredit Beijing.
