U.S. security agencies have put out the alert that hackers backed by the Chinese government have actually been targeting “major telecommunications companies and network service providers” since 2020.
In a June 7 cybersecurity advisory, they advised those impacted to take instant therapeutic action.
The advisory, coauthored by the National Security Agency (NSA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), stated the hackers “continue to exploit publicly known vulnerabilities,” utilizing techniques to bypass defenses and keeping themselves unnoticed.
The agencies mentioned that the hackers presumably used open-source tools, such as RouterSploit and RouterScan, and understood software application defects in networking gadgets such as routers.
“These devices are often overlooked by cyber defenders, who struggle to maintain and keep pace with routine software patching of Internet-facing services and endpoint devices,” noted the agencies.
The agencies did not identify the victim business in the advisory, however, they consisted of a list of the typical vulnerabilities and direct exposures (CVEs) most often made use of by the Chinese routine’s hackers given that 2020, together with vulnerability types and the significant suppliers– Cisco, Citrix, D-Link, Fortinet, and Netgear.
They advised prospective victims to support their networks by using immediate patches, updating infrastructure, and disabling unnecessary ports and protocols.
The advisory is the most recent of the U.S. federal government’s series of alerts on “Chinese malicious cyber activities,” which date back to 2017.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) lists all of its advisories, alerts, and malware analysis reports on “Chinese malicious cyber activities” from April 2017 onward.
According to CISA’s list, Chinese regime-linked hackers targeted and invaded U.S. oil and natural gas companies from 2011 to 2013.
Another Chinese regime-backed hacking activity the CISA said was conducted by the Chinese Communist Party‘s (CCP) Ministry of State Security (MSS) Hainan State Security Department. These hackers were identified as APT40 by the CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a joint advisory last year.
APT40 “targeted governmental organizations, companies, and universities in a wide range of industries—including biomedical, robotics, and maritime research—across the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and the South China Sea area, as well as industries included in China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” the advisory said.
The United States charged four Chinese nationals dealing with the CCP’s MSS Hainan state security department for the hacking activity.
The following are a number of cases, amongst the many, of cyberespionage projects performed by CCP hackers.
In March 2022, a hacker group backed by the Chinese regime reportedly exploited vulnerabilities in the online systems of a minimum of 6 U.S. state governments in order to acquire and jeopardize access to those networks.
In March 2021, cybersecurity group FireEye reportedly discovered proof that hackers connected to the Chinese Communist regime made use of a defect in a Microsoft e-mail application to pursue a variety of American targets, consisting of a university and city governments.
Chinese Computing Hacking Contest
China hosts its own computer system hacking occasion, the Tianfu Cup worldwide cybersecurity contest, where the very best Chinese hackers show their abilities.
At last year’s contest, Kunlun Lab Team and Team Pangu both hacked the iPhone 13 Pro in record time, Forbes reported.
Kunlun Lab did this live on stage, “using a remote code execution exploit of the mobile Safari web browser.” Team Pangu took away the top reward—$300,000 cash—”for remotely jailbreaking a fully patched iPhone 13 Pro running iOS 15,” according to Forbes.
Though the Tianfu Cup demonstrates “a near-peer challenge to U.S. cyber power, ” wrote J.D. Work, a former U.S. intelligence professional, for War on the Rocks. “Yet the People’s Liberation Army Strategic Support Force, Ministry of State Security, and Public Security Bureau’s development efforts remain out of public view.”
Improving US Cybersecurity
Reacting to the June advisory from American security companies, a post in MIT Technology Review statedthat preventive actions are essential to protect and find versus Chinese cyber espionage projects.
” stole usernames and passwords, reconfigured routers, and successfully exfiltrated the targeted network’s traffic and copied it to their own machines. With these tactics, they were able to spy on virtually everything going on inside the organizations,” said the article by Patrick Howell O’Neill.
John Mac Ghlionn, a scientist and author, wrote in a piece for The Epoch Times in February that the United States has actually never ever looked more susceptible to cyber-attacks.
“At present, U.S. agencies suffer from poor cyber hygiene, meaning the practices and precautions used to keep sensitive data safe and secure from attackers are substandard,” Mac Ghlionn wrote.
“This explains why CCP-backed hackers have stolen the data of at least 206 million Americans. Without adequate cybersecurity measures, protected health information (PHI), personal information, and intellectual property are at risk of being compromised.”
Mac Ghlionn included that according to a Senate report, 7 out of 8 federal agencies, are failing to safeguard vital information.
Rob Joyce, director of cybersecurity at the NSA, tweeted: “PRC sponsored actors are using access to telcos and ISPs to scale their targeting. To kick them out, we must understand the tradecraft and detect them beyond just initial access.”
PRC sponsored actors are using access to telcos and ISPs to scale their targeting. To kick them out, we must understand the tradecraft and detect them beyond just initial access. https://t.co/l4W4kHKd8B
— Rob Joyce (@NSA_CSDirector) June 7, 2022
Reporters contacted the Chinese embassy in Washington. An embassy representative replied by e-mail rejected the hacking claims and declared that the United States is”groundlessly accusing China on cyber security issues.”
H/T The Epoch Times
