Story perspectives

U.S. Seizes Domains Behind China’s QScan Hacking Tools

8/26/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. authorities disrupted a Chinese hacking operation that breached the Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Senate.
The Justice Department seized domains used by the QScan and QTRouter platforms.
The platforms were operated by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, a China-based firm.
Clients included China’s Ministry of State Security and the People’s Liberation Army.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the tools hid origins and praised the takedown.

History

Historical Context

In 2015, Chinese hackers infiltrated the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, stealing millions of federal employee records. The breach, attributed to the Ministry of State Security, exposed 21.5 million files and cost the government roughly $1.5 billion in remediation. Similarly, the FBI’s seizure of the QScan platform, which breached the Justice Department and NASA, echoes the 2015 intrusion’s targeting of U.S. agencies. These parallel operations underscore persistent vulnerabilities, prompting lawmakers to draft stricter cyber-espionage sanctions and allocate additional funding for federal network defenses.

1 of 2

Story summary

U.S. authorities disrupted a Chinese hacking operation that breached the Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Senate.
The Justice Department seized domains used by the QScan and QTRouter platforms.
The platforms were operated by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, a China-based firm.
Clients included China’s Ministry of State Security and the People’s Liberation Army.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the tools hid origins and praised the takedown.

1 / 2