Official announcements from the U.S. Department of State or Treasury

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

Sep 18, 2024, 05:30 PM

The FBI has successfully disrupted a second major Chinese hacking group known as 'Flax Typhoon,' according to FBI Director Christopher Wray. The group, linked to the Chinese government, had compromised over 260,000 Internet of Things (IoT) devices, forming a massive botnet. The botnet targeted critical infrastructure in the U.S. and other countries, posing significant cybersecurity threats. The FBI, in collaboration with other U.S. government agencies such as the NSA, took control of the botnet, mitigating the risk posed by the compromised devices. The group was allegedly run by a company posing as an IT firm but was actually collecting intelligence for Chinese state agencies. The announcement was made at the Aspen Cyber Summit.