WASHINGTON: The US government in recent months launched an operation to fight a pervasive Chinese hacking operation that compromised thousands of internet-connected devices, two Western security officials and a person familiar with the matter said.

The Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation sought and received legal authorisation to remotely disable aspects of the Chinese hacking campaign, the sources told Reuters.

China’s foreign ministry called the accusations “groundless” and “extremely irresponsible”.

The hacking group at the centre of recent activity, Volt Typhoon, has especially alarmed intelligence officials who say it is part of a larger effort to compromise Western critical infrastructure, including naval ports, internet service providers and utilities.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2024