US says Chinese-linked hackers attacked NASA, Senate, and gov’t agencies

What the report says

The United States said it has disrupted a China-linked hacking operation that targeted sensitive government and related networks, according to an Al Jazeera report published on 26 August 2026 citing the Justice Department and Reuters. US authorities said they seized two domains tied to tools called QScan and QTRouter, which were allegedly used to break into internet-connected devices and conceal the origin of attacks. The government said the infrastructure had been in use since at least 2018.

Al Jazeera reported that the targets included the Department of Justice, NASA, the Federal Reserve, and the US Senate. Court documents also said hackers unsuccessfully tried to reach NASA networks in 2019 and later penetrated networks at three Department of Energy laboratories, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, and a US security-device manufacturer in 2024. Four unnamed companies in the United States and South Korea were also listed as targets.

The Justice Department said the platforms were run by a China-based company, Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, and alleged that its clients included China’s Ministry of State Security and the People’s Liberation Army. No response from the company or the Chinese embassy was reported. The action is part of a wider US campaign against foreign hacking activity, and cybersecurity experts quoted by Al Jazeera said taking the platforms offline could reduce the operators’ ability to mask attacks, though it would not necessarily end all activity.