The FBI says it was authorized to mass-remove “PlugX” malware from more than 4,000 compromised machines in the United States

Federal authorities announced Tuesday that they have erased Chinese malware from thousands of computers across the United States.

The group, Mustang Panda, used malware called PlugX to access thousands of computers worldwide, according to the Justice Department and FBI. Newsweek reached out to the FBI via email for comment. The group managed to hack computers in at least 170 countries,

The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI have concluded an extensive international operation that successfully removed PlugX malware from more than 4,200 computers across the United States.