FBI takes down hacking tools linked to China
The US Justice Department and the FBI have seized the scanning and phishing tools "Microscan" and "FishHub". According to US authorities, the attacks targeted critical infrastructure.
Archive image · Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
The US Justice Department and the FBI said on Thursday they had seized tools belonging to a hacking group that US authorities associate with the Chinese government. According to the Associated Press, the programs are called "Microscan" and "FishHub". They were reportedly used to scan for vulnerabilities, phish and break into systems.
According to US authorities, the group is blamed for disruptive attacks on the power industry, academia and critical infrastructure. Its targets reportedly included facilities in the US and abroad. Several security newsletters reported the seizure on Friday, citing AP.