Public announcements by FBI, NSA, or other U.S. government agencies

FBI Disrupts Chinese Hacking Group 'Flax Typhoon' at Aspen Cyber Summit, Compromising 260,000 IoT Devices

Sep 18, 2024, 07:00 PM

The FBI has disrupted a second major Chinese hacking group, known as 'Flax Typhoon,' which compromised over 260,000 Internet of Things (IoT) devices. FBI Director Christopher Wray announced at the Aspen Cyber Summit that the group, linked to the Chinese government, targeted critical infrastructure in the U.S. and other countries. The operation, conducted in collaboration with the NSA and other U.S. agencies, took control of the PRC-linked botnet used by the hackers. The compromised devices included routers, cameras, and firewalls, which were used to spy on and steal data from universities, government agencies, and other sensitive organizations. Black Lotus Labs researchers observed a large scanning effort targeting U.S. military and government. The FBI's court-authorized operation has freed thousands of impacted devices from the control of the Chinese state-sponsored hackers.