WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it has removed malware from over 4,200 computers, placed by a gang of criminal hackers supported by China's government.
Dubbed "PlugX," the malware impacted numerous computers worldwide, enabling infiltration and data theft, as per the department.
Experts uncovered that the malware was distributed through infected USB devices by a hacker faction identified as "Mustang Panda" and "Twill Typhoon."
According to legal documents submitted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, prosecutors claim that the Chinese government financed the Mustang Panda group in creating PlugX. In September 2023, cybersecurity firm Sekoia pinpointed the hackers' command and control system for this PlugX version, cooperating with French authorities to assume control of the system by July 2024.
The FBI collaborated with French counterparts to pinpoint U.S.-linked devices targeted by the malware, enabling commands to self-delete from each device.
Since approximately 2014, the malware has been employed to target machines in the United States, Europe, and Asia, along with those of Chinese dissidents.