Cyber-espionage
New Windows zero-day exploited by 11 state hacking groups since 2017
At least 11 state-backed hacking groups from North Korea, Iran, Russia, and China have been exploiting a new Windows vulnerability in data theft and cyber espionage zero-day attacks since 2017. However, as security researchers Peter Girnus and Aliakbar Zahravi with Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) reported today, Microsoft tagged it as “not meeting the […]
Chinese cyberspies backdoor Juniper routers for stealthy access
Chinese hackers are deploying custom backdoors on Juniper Networks Junos OS MX routers that have reached end-of-life (EoL) and no longer receive security updates. The backdoors are primarily variants of the TinyShell malware, an open-source tool that facilitates data exchange and command execution on Linux systems, and which has been used by multiple threat groups over the years. […]
Silk Typhoon hackers now target IT supply chains to breach networks
Microsoft warns that Chinese cyber-espionage threat group ‘Silk Typhoon’ has shifted its tactics, now targeting remote management tools and cloud services in supply chain attacks that give them access to downstream customers. The tech giant has confirmed breaches across multiple industries, including government, IT services, healthcare, defense, education, NGOs, and energy. “They [Silk Typhoon] exploit […]
Chinese hackers use custom malware to spy on US telecom networks
The Chinese state-sponsored Salt Typhoon hacking group uses a custom utility called JumbledPath to stealthily monitor network traffic and potentially capture sensitive data in cyberattacks on U.S. telecommunication providers. Salt Typhoon (aka Earth Estries, GhostEmperor, and UNC2286) is a sophisticated hacking group active since at least 2019, primarily focusing on breaching government entities and telecommunications companies. […]
New NailaoLocker ransomware used against EU healthcare orgs
A previously undocumented ransomware payload named NailaoLocker has been spotted in attacks targeting European healthcare organizations between June and October 2024. The attacks exploited CVE-2024-24919, a Check Point Security Gateway vulnerability, to gain access to targeted networks and deploy the ShadowPad and PlugX malware, two families tightly associated with Chinese state-sponsored threat groups. Orange Cyberdefense CERT links […]
New FinalDraft malware abuses Outlook mail service for stealthy comms
A new malware called FinalDraft has been using Outlook email drafts for command-and-control communication in attacks against a ministry in a South American country. The attacks were discovered by Elastic Security Labs and rely on a complete toolset that includes a custom malware loader named PathLoader, the FinalDraft backdoor, and multiple post-exploitation utilities. The abuse of Outlook, […]
Chinese espionage tools deployed in RA World ransomware attack
A China-based threat actor, tracked as Emperor Dragonfly and commonly associated with cybercriminal endeavors, has been observed using in a ransomware attack a toolset previously attributed to espionage actors. The hackers deployed the RA World ransomware against an Asian software and services company and demanded an initial ransom payment of $2 million. Researchers from Symantec’s Threat Hunter Team observed […]
MirrorFace hackers targeting Japanese govt, politicians since 2019
The National Police Agency (NPA) and the Cabinet Cyber Security Center in Japan have linked a cyber-espionage campaign targeting the country to the Chinese state-backed “MirrorFace” hacking group. The campaign has been underway since 2019 and is still ongoing, while the Japanese investigators have observed distinct phases with differentiation of targets and attack methods. In […]
White House links ninth telecom breach to Chinese hackers
A White House official has added a ninth U.S. telecommunications company to the list of telecoms breached in a Chinese hacking campaign that impacted dozens of countries. The Salt Typhoon Chinese cyber-espionage group who orchestrated these attacks (also tracked as Earth Estries, FamousSparrow, Ghost Emperor, and UNC2286) is known for breaching government entities and telecom companies […]
‘Bitter’ cyberspies target defense orgs with new MiyaRAT malware
A cyberespionage threat group known as ‘Bitter’ was observed targeting defense organizations in Turkey using a novel malware family named MiyaRAT. MiyaRAT is used alongside the WmRAT malware, which is cyberespionage malware previously associated with Bitter. Proofpoint discovered the campaign and reports that the new malware is likely reserved for high-value targets, deployed only sporadically. Bitter […]