Reports from cybersecurity firms, FBI, or other U.S. government agencies

FBI Disrupts Second Chinese Hacking Group 'Flax Typhoon' Botnet of 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, successfully took control of a botnet comprising 260,000 Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The botnet had targeted critical infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad, compromising hundreds of thousands of devices, including routers and firewalls. This group posed as an IT firm to collect intelligence for Chinese state agencies. The FBI and NSA have issued advisories recommending mitigations to secure devices and shrink the botnet. The operation was court-authorized, and Black Lotus Labs researchers observed a large scanning effort targeting U.S. military and government.