A major Chinese cyber-espionage campaign compromised numerous federal agencies including NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Departments of Justice and Energy, and the U.S. Senate, U.S. officials claimed Wednesday.
According to the Justice Department, hackers affiliated with China's military and intelligence services allegedly used a Chinese tech company to cover their tracks, burrow into target networks and make their intrusions more efficient, and additional targets reportedly included U.S. military networks, hospitals, power companies and defense contractors, reported CNN.
In response, DOJ seized three internet domains affiliated with the Chinese company in an effort to limit further damage.
Federal agencies also plan to issue an advisory detailing the hackers' techniques so affected organizations can remove the intruders from their systems.
Officials said the full scope of the campaign's impact remains unclear, and any internal counterintelligence damage assessments are likely to stay classified for security reasons.
The announcement adds to a long history of alleged Chinese hacking campaigns targeting U.S. infrastructure, including a 2023 case in which officials accused it of infiltrating military transportation networks, water systems and power companies — activity U.S. officials said had no legitimate intelligence purpose and appeared aimed at potentially disrupting an American response to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
China denied those allegations. In 2024, U.S. officials and major phone carriers also spent months responding to an alleged Chinese infiltration of telecom networks that reportedly targeted then-candidate Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance.
Asked on Fox News whether Trump would raise the new hacking allegations with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his planned visit next month, Attorney General Blanche declined to specify, saying only, "This is something that we have talked about with our counterparts in China for many, many years... it has to stop."
CNN has requested comment from the Chinese Embassy in Washington. China routinely denies U.S. hacking allegations and counters with its own accusations against American intelligence agencies.
Investigators say the operation centered on a Nanjing-based firm, Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, allegedly used by China's military and Ministry of State Security to disguise hacking traffic as ordinary internet activity.
Lumen Technologies, which has visibility into global internet infrastructure, said in a Wednesday blog post that the arrangement let hackers "systematically profile and interact with target infrastructure on a global scale while remaining safely hidden."
A senior Lumen security engineer, Damon Rouse, said the setup was the most comprehensive such operation he has encountered, though the commercial relationship may have also left a paper trail for investigators.
Analysts note China's hacking-for-hire industry has grown increasingly professionalized, complicating efforts to fully disrupt future operations.
