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Some cyberattacks start with a suspicious email. Others begin somewhere you would probably never think to look. It could be an old router in someone's home. Maybe it is a forgotten security camera that still connects to the internet. Hackers can compromise vulnerable connected devices and use them to disguise where an attack really comes from.
That tactic played a role in a China-linked hacking operation that U.S. authorities say took aim at some of America's most sensitive networks.
On Aug. 26, the Justice Department and FBI confirmed intrusion attempts since 2018 against NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Justice Department and the U.S. Senate. Other targets included the Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health.
FBI WRAPS UP CYBERCRIME OPERATION TARGETING GLOBAL NETWORKS PREYING ON AMERICANS
Four unnamed companies in the United States and South Korea were reportedly targeted as well. The names behind the operation sound like something from an IT department: QScan and QTRouter. Yet what these tools allegedly did should get your attention.
Here is how the hacking operation worked, how authorities shut it down and what you can do to keep your own connected devices from becoming part of an attacker's network.
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China-linked hackers used shared network infrastructure to disguise malicious traffic and make attacks harder to trace (Donato Fasano/Getty Images)
According to the Justice Department, a Chinese state-sponsored group known as QTFY created and operated QScan and QTRouter. Federal officials say the group worked for the China-based Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company. The Justice Department alleges that the company offered hacking services to paying customers, including China's Ministry of State Security and People's Liberation Army.
Authorities say QTFY infrastructure has been used to compromise critical infrastructure and other sensitive networks since at least 2018. Court documents also describe targets that included hospitals, telecommunications providers, financial institutions and defense contractors.
CyberGuy reached out to NASA about the Justice Department's announcement.
