US Department of Justice Clarifies Statements on Chinese Hacking Targets

The US Department of Justice has clarified that while the US Senate and Federal Reserve were targeted by Chinese hackers, they were not successfully breached. In a revised statement released on Friday, officials indicated that these agencies, along with NASA and others, were among the targets of the Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as QTFY. Earlier statements had suggested that these agencies were victims of the attacks. The Justice Department noted that the edits were made to accurately reflect the allegations in the supporting affidavit related to domain seizures. The August 26 release had described all agencies as victims, but the affidavit clarified that only some were compromised. This distinction is significant as it limits the confirmed breaches. The Justice Department has accused Chinese actors of engaging in a long-term cyber-espionage campaign against US government agencies and other sensitive targets. According to an affidavit from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the hackers have been targeting US federal networks since at least 2018, including NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Department of Energy, the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and the US Senate. The FBI's investigation into NASA revealed that an attempted breach was unsuccessful due to the agency's timely software updates. The affidavit also alleges that in September 2024, the hackers executed computer intrusions at three Department of Energy National Laboratories, the National Institutes of Health, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, and a US security device manufacturer, referring to these entities as victims. Additionally, a joint cybersecurity advisory issued by the FBI, National Security Agency, and US Cyber Command's Cyber National Mission Force on Wednesday reported successful data thefts from unnamed defense contractors, financial institutions, and universities in May 2024. It also mentioned unsuccessful attempts to breach the networks of the US Senate and a hospital in March 2026. Requests for clarification from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency were not immediately answered. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Friday. In a previous response to the announcement, an embassy spokesperson stated that the US uses cybersecurity to discredit China and opposes the US's broad interpretation of national security, which it claims is used to impose unfair restrictions on Chinese companies.