The FBI has successfully disrupted a group of Chinese hackers working at the direction of the Chinese government to infiltrate critical infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad, as well as spy on and steal data from universities, government agencies, and other organizations, announced Director Chris Wray. The hacking campaign, known as Flax Typhoon, utilized malicious software to create a massive botnet comprising thousands of internet-connected devices.
In a statement at the Aspen Cyber Summit, Wray emphasized the real harm caused by Flax Typhoon’s actions, resulting in victims having to spend valuable time cleaning up the malware mess. Although specific targets were not named, they included universities, government agencies, telecommunications providers, media organizations, and NGOs, with half of the infected devices located in the U.S.
Wray warned that the fight against Chinese government-led cyber threats is ongoing, with the need to identify and disrupt malicious activity continuously. The group Flax Typhoon was previously outlined in a Microsoft report in August 2023, demonstrating an increased focus on targeting Taiwanese organizations.
This latest disruption follows the revelation of a separate takedown of a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group, Volt Typhoon, disclosed by Wray to Congress. This group targeted critical infrastructure in the U.S., using hijacked routers to cover their tracks while aiming at systems such as water treatment plants and transportation networks.
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