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NEWS AND ANALYSIS:
Cybersecurity detectives recently uncovered a massive Chinese government-linked hacking operation that included billions of dollars of stolen intellectual property and other data designed to support further cyberespionage from the US and foreign companies.
cyber security firm cyber seasons disclosed the details of the sophisticated Chinese hacking group, which he labeled “winntIn a report made public on Wednesday.
“This group has existed since at least 2010 and is believed to operate on behalf of Chinese state interests and specializes in cyber espionage and intellectual property theft,” the report said.
The group infiltrated corporate computer networks and remained incognito until it was discovered in 2021. Hackers have worked undetected since 2019, targeting sensitive private information from technology and manufacturing companies in North America, East Asia, and Western Europe.
Information stolen from victim companies not mentioned in the report included sensitive documents, plans, diagrams, formulas, and private production-related data. Research and development documents and source code were also received.
“It is estimated that over the years the group managed to leak hundreds of gigabytes of information in order to secretly explore and identify valuable data,” the report said. “In addition, the attackers gathered information that could be used for future cyber attacks, such as details about the target company’s business units, network architecture, user accounts and credentials, employee emails, and customer data.”
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The value of stolen data was not estimated in the report. However, a White House report made public in 2018 stated that Chinese cyberespionage costs US companies between $180 billion and $540 billion annually.
“Suffice it to say that losing gigabytes of sensitive and proprietary intellectual property hits the bottom line and eliminates any competitive advantage in the market.” cyber seasons The report said that due to the hackers’ ability to evade detection, the exact number of companies hit by the Chinese in the hacking operation is difficult to estimate.
“winnt It is one of the most hardworking groups operating in the name of interests aligned with the Chinese state.
The report details how Chinese hackers obtained initial access to computer networks through vulnerabilities in business management software. The hackers then installed malware that allowed it to run secretly within networks and ultimately download large amounts of data.
This winnt Cyber attacks were seemingly unique in using various stages to infect targeted computer networks and evade their cyber defenses.
“This shows the thought and effort put into both malware and operational security, making it nearly impossible to analyze unless all the pieces of the puzzle are put together in the right order,” the report said.
lior div, cyber seasonsThe report’s most worrying findings relate to sophisticated hijacking techniques that have been developed to work undetected in hacked companies’ networks, the CEO of .
“The group works like a guided missile and attacks when locked onto its target, and doesn’t stop until it steals a company’s jewels,” he said.
In addition to private data, hundreds of gigabytes of stolen data included business units, customer and partner data, employee emails and other personal information that could be used in later blackmail or extortion plans.
Disclosure of Chinese intellectual property theft, report It was said last month by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative that Beijing “doubled” the theft of U.S. intellectual property. Chinesegovernment has refused to engage in illegal cyber activities.
results cyber seasons The investigation, codenamed Operation Cuckoo Bees, has been briefed to the Department of Justice and the FBI.
This winnt In the past, the group was identified by the FBI as APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) 41. Five members of the hacking group were indicted in 2019 by a federal grand jury in Washington on hacking more than 100 protected computers and other charges.
Prosecutors said one of the hackers bragged about having the connections. ChineseMinistry of State Security, civilian political police and intelligence service. In July, federal prosecutors in San Diego charged four Chinese nationals with illegal computer hacks into the MSS through a front company.
“Width and duration ChineseHacking campaigns, including these efforts targeting a dozen countries across industries ranging from healthcare and biomedical research to aerospace and defense, remind us that no country or industry is safe.” Assistant Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco He said in July.
Chinese sanctions or preparations for war
Intelligence agencies are closely watching the Chinese government and military for signs that Beijing may be preparing an attack on rival Taiwan.
Intelligence indicators and warning signs include news that an emergency government is meeting on April 22 to discuss ways to protect the country from Western sanctions. Authorities ChineseThe central bank, the ministry of finance and some international credit institutions attended the meeting.
The meeting is an important sign. Chinese It is considering an attack on Taiwan, the island democracy that Beijing regards as its sovereign territory and has promised to reunite with the mainland, if necessary, by force.
But some see the extraordinary meeting as a sign that the government is preparing to openly support Russia in response to the large-scale economic and financial sanctions imposed on Moscow by the United States and its allies following the invasion of Ukraine. The Biden administration made this public. Chinese If he helps Moscow, it will face economic sanctions.
US officials said so far there was no indication that Beijing was short-circuiting sanctions, Reuters reported.
But the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that some Chinese companies are accelerating their purchases of Russian oil, even as state-owned companies are hesitating on oil purchases for fear they could be hit with sanctions.
Chinese It has an estimated $3.2 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, which could be frozen by Western financial sanctions. Russia had an estimated $630 billion in assets frozen by sanctions since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine. Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported that foreign bank HSBC and other international lenders were invited to the April meeting.
The US is said to be considering economic sanctions. Chinese As part of a response to a possible move against Taipei. Analysts said in Chinese President Xi Jinping He is determined to use any means necessary to take over Taiwan, but Beijing officials are also said to be watching closely how Russia is doing. President Vladimir Putin Wages in its conflict with the West over Ukraine.
“This emergency meeting to find ways to protect itself from Western sanctions is the first ‘Learn from Putin in Ukraine’ item to surface above the waterline, but we can be sure the others are in play below,” he said. Bill Tripletta Chinese Former senior adviser to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Certainly Beijing is reviewing its air and sea blockade and cyber blockade plans. [Taiwanese] President Tsai Ing-wen As part of the response, it was pulled from the world’s TV networks.
ChineseThe People’s Liberation Army has conducted repeated military demonstrations against Taiwan in recent months, sending large warplanes to Taiwan’s air defense zone. Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Twitter Wednesday that the PLA has sent Su-30 and J-11 jets and a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft to the southern air defense zone off Taiwan’s coast.
British minister: NATO must protect Taiwan
China’s military calculations of a future military invasion of Taiwan became more complex last month after the UK foreign minister said the transatlantic NATO alliance should be ready to assist Taiwan’s defense.
British, “I mean that NATO must have a global perspective, ready to tackle global threats” Secretary of State Liz Truss Speaking in London on April 27, he said: “We need to avert threats in the Indo-Pacific by working with allies like Japan and Australia to ensure the protection of the Pacific. We must ensure that democracies like Taiwan can defend themselves.”
Britain’s support for Taiwan follows public pledges of support by the governments of Japan and Australia, both of which have said they will soon join the US in Taiwan’s military defense.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1972, the United States commits to providing Taiwan with defensive weapons, but the law falls short of requiring a firm commitment to protect Taiwan from a military attack.
The British minister’s call for help in defending Taiwan also followed these comments: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that the alliance must do more to counter threats ChineseEven if it is not a NATO member in the region.
“Taiwan is not a NATO member, they will never be a NATO member. “NATO is an alliance for Europe and North America.” “But of course, a Chinese which is more rude to neighbors. … So all this is important to NATO.”
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