FBI takes down another Chinese hacking group ‘Flax Typhoon’

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has disrupted another major Chinese hacking group, dubbed ‘Flax Typhoon,’ which had compromised thousands of devices globally. The FBI and officials from several allied countries accused a Chinese company, the Integrity Technology Group, of running the operation under the guise of an IT firm. FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed that the group was gathering intelligence and conducting surveillance for Chinese security agencies, targeting critical infrastructure as well as corporations, media organisations, and universities.

Cybersecurity officials from the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand also joined the US in condemning the hacking group, noting that over 250,000 devices had been compromised as of June. The operation involved hijacking devices through a botnet—a network of infected cameras and storage devices—and was reportedly part of China’s broader cyber-sabotage efforts. Flax Typhoon’s activities mirrored those of another China-backed group, Volt Typhoon, which has been scrutinised for targeting US infrastructure.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington denied the accusations, claiming that the US had made baseless allegations. Despite China’s dismissal, the FBI remains firm, with Wray emphasising that this takedown is only one part of a longer struggle to counter Chinese cyberattacks. The operation faced some retaliation from the hackers, who launched a cyberattack in response but eventually retreated, leaving the FBI in control of the botnet’s infrastructure.