FBI Disrupts Second Chinese Hacking Group 'Flax Typhoon,' Seizing 260,000 Devices

Sep 18, 2024, 05:54 PM

The FBI has disrupted a second major Chinese hacking group known as 'Flax Typhoon,' which was linked to the Chinese government. FBI Director Christopher Wray announced at the Aspen Cyber Summit that the operation, conducted in collaboration with other U.S. agencies, took control of a botnet comprising over 260,000 Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The botnet had targeted critical infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad, compromising thousands of devices, including routers and firewalls. Black Lotus Labs researchers observed a large scanning effort targeting U.S. military and government. The group posed as an IT firm but was actually collecting intelligence for Chinese state agencies. The FBI and other federal agencies have issued advisories on securing devices to mitigate such threats.