FBI, DOJ Delete Chinese Malware From Thousands of US Computers in Court-Authorized Operation

According to court documents, a CCP-linked hacking group used PlugX to infiltrate and control targeted computers, stealing information from infected systems.

A hacker uses his computer in Dongguan, China's southern Guangdong Province, on Aug. 4, 2020. Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images

The FBI and Department of Justice have removed China-linked malware from more than 4,200 U.S. computers, in a court-authorized operation targeting a Beijing-sponsored hacking group.

The operation, conducted with French law enforcement and French cybersecurity firm Sekoia.io, targeted a variant of PlugX malware deployed by hackers backed by the Chinese Communist Party.