Chinese Hackers Target US Routers Via Malware

Hundreds of Wi-Fi routers based in the US were hijacked by malware infection in order to be used in cyberattacks by China. An FBI cyber squad exposed the botnet and terminated it.

"This is the cyberspace equivalent of placing bombs on American bridges, water treatment facilities, and power plants. There is no economic benefit for these actions. There is no intelligence gathering rationale." – states GOP rep. Mike Gallagher, chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee

A court-authorized operation has been launched last month by the FBI. The Justice Department says they dismantled the Chinese botnet by removing the malware from the routers which fell victim to infection

The operation led the authorities to a malware known as KV Botnet, which is programmed to transmit encrypted traffic between the affected SOHO routers to allow Chinese hackers to anonymize themselves and conceal their activities.

Source: Reuters