The United States announced Wednesday that it disrupted an extensive Chinese cyber-espionage operation responsible for hacking the U.S. Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Senate, and several other sensitive federal agencies.The Justice Department confirmed in a statement that it seized web domains linked to two malicious platforms, known as "QScan" and "QTRouter," used during the campaign. An affidavit named the U.S. Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and four unnamed companies in the United States and South Korea as victims compromised by the hackers.The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing consistently denies involvement in hacking operations.“Today we announced the disruption of a global botnet and hacking platform used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers to target U.S. critical infrastructure,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “These tools were used by PRC cyber actors to hide the origin of their attacks. Thanks to the work of FBI San Diego, FBI Cyber Division, and DOJ partners, we seized adversary infrastructure and shut these platforms down. Today’s action is just the latest technical operation against PRC-sponsored hacking - and in support of President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America, the FBI is surging efforts to shape adversary behavior and defend the homeland in cyberspace.” (AP)The Justice Department stated the platforms were managed by a Chinese firm, Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company, whose clients included China's civilian intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, and its military, the People’s Liberation Army.Contact information for Nanjing Xinjiuwei could not be immediately located.The affidavit detailed that the network's computer infrastructure had been used to compromise critical infrastructure and sensitive networks across the U.S. and globally since at least 2018.Cybersecurity experts monitoring Chinese activity say private contractors routinely carry out high-profile cyber intrusions on behalf of various government agencies in Beijing."Over the last decade, the number of companies offering niche offensive services has exploded," said Dakota Cary, a China analyst with cybersecurity company SentinelOne.According to court documents, QTFY offers computer hacking services to its paying customers, including the PRC’s Ministry of State Security and the People’s Liberation Army.