FBI Disrupts Chinese Botnet Targeting U.S. Agencies
By Editor • August 26, 2026 • 1 min read
The FBI has successfully taken control of multiple domains linked to a sophisticated botnet allegedly backed by the Chinese government, aimed at attacking various American institutions. This decisive action was announced by the Justice Department on Wednesday, illustrating a significant blow to the cybercriminal operations.
Known as QTFY, this botnet was reportedly orchestrated by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Tech and utilized thousands of compromised devices to execute its malicious activities. Prosecutors have indicated that the botnet’s main objective was to assist Chinese state-sponsored hackers in evading detection while they infiltrated crucial systems, including NASA, the Federal Reserve, and several government departments.
The origins of these cyberattacks date back to 2018, with recent breaches affecting the U.S. Senate occurring as recently as 2026. The Justice Department highlighted that the seizures rendered the botnet and its command servers inoperable, halting a network critical for communication and operations. Lumen, a prominent network provider, revealed that they had been monitoring the botnet's targeting of sensitive sectors for over a year.
Source: techcrunch.com
