The FBI has successfully foiled a Chinese state-sponsored hacking operation that compromised the devices of more than 200,000 users in the United States.

Director Chris Ray announced that the hacking campaign, known as FlexTyphoon, had been operating undetected for months, targeting universities. Government Institutionsand telecommunications providers, among other organizations.

In the process, home routers, cameras and video recorders were infiltrated.

The state-sponsored hackers are believed to have carried out their operation for Integrity Technology Group, a company Beijing.

The hacker’s botnet—a network of infected computers—was designed to steal sensitive data from victims’ devices, with nearly half of the compromised devices located in the United States.

“Flax Typhoon’s actions caused real harm to its victims, who had to spend valuable time cleaning up the mess when the malware was discovered,” Wray said during the Aspen Cyber ​​Summit.

The massive hacking scheme was attributed to the Chinese government, which has been involved in similar cyber attacks in the past.

gave Department of Justice won a court order to seize the botnet’s infrastructure, marking another major victory in the ongoing cyber conflict between US authorities and state-backed actors, particularly China.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, speaking at the same conference, emphasized that the case should be of concern to all citizens.

“The average citizen should take care because this case involves criminal activity, potentially tampering with their devices,” Monaco said.

It added that it is part of a wider ecosystem being exploited by illegitimate cyber actors.

Although The FBI Without identifying the specific targets of the operation, he confirmed that the affected institutions included an array of public and private organizations.

Wray emphasized that while the disruption of the Flex Typhoon is a significant achievement, it is only one chapter in a long and complex battle.

“Make no mistake – this is just one round in a long fight,” he warned.

“The Chinese government will continue to target your organizations and our critical infrastructure either by hand or covertly through its proxies.”

Typhoon Flex was reported first. Microsoft In August 2023, when the group’s activities intensified, especially against Taiwanese Organizations

Older devices, including NetGear Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. K, were particularly vulnerable to not receiving dangerous security updates.

The network’s demise comes months after the FBI revealed the takedown of another Chinese hacking group, Volt Typhoon, which targeted critical US infrastructure, including water treatment plants and the electrical grid.

“Disrupting this botnet around the world uses technical measures to help protect victims, publicly expose the scope of these criminal hacking campaigns, and remove malicious infrastructure from the virtual battlefield.” It’s part of the FBI’s commitment to using the adversary’s tools against them.” FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbott said in a statement.

“The FBI’s unique legal authorities allowed it to lead an international operation with partners who collectively dismantled this botnet from its China-based hackers at the Integrity Technology Group.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.