Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Security Firm: Chinese Hackers Broke Into Email Security Appliance in Spying Campaign
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 1 year ago on
June 15, 2023

Share

Suspected state-backed Chinese hackers used a security hole in a popular email security appliance to break into the networks of hundreds of public and private sector organizations globally, nearly a third of them government agencies including foreign ministries, the cybersecurity firm Mandiant said Thursday.

“This is the broadest cyber espionage campaign known to be conducted by a China-nexus threat actor since the mass exploitation of Microsoft Exchange in early 2021,” Charles Carmakal, Mandiant’s chief technical officler, said in a emailed statement. That hack compromised tens of thousands of computers globally.

In a blog post Thursday, Google-owned Mandiant expressed “high confidence” that the group exploiting a software vulnerability in Barracuda Networks’ Email Security Gateway was engaged in “espionage activity in support of the People’s Republic of China.” It said the activivity began as early as October.

The hackers sent emails containing malicious file attachments to gain access to targeted organizations’ devices and data, Mandiant said. Of those organizations, 55% were from the Americas, 22% from Asia Pacific and 24% from Europe, the Middle East and Africa and they included foreign ministries in Southeast Asia, foreign trade offices and academic organizations in Taiwan and Hong Kong. the company said.

Mandiant said the majority impact in the Americas may partially reflect the geography of Barracuda’s customer base.

Barracuda announced on June 6 that some of its its email security appliances had been hacked as early as October, giving the intruders a back door into compromised networks. The hack was so severe the California company recommended fully replacing the appliances.

After discovering it in mid-May, Barracuda released containment and remediation patches but the hacking group, which Mandiant identifies as UNC4841, altered their malware to try to maintain access, Mandiant said. The group then “countered with high frequency operations targeting a number of victims located in at least 16 different countries.”

Mandiant said the targeting at both the organizational and individual account levels, focused on issues that are high policy priorities for China, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. It said the hackers searched for email accounts of people working for governments of political or strategic interest to China at the time they were participating in diplomatic meetings with other countries.

The U.S. government has accused Beijing of being its principal cyberespionage threat, with state-backed Chinese hackers stealing data from both the private and public sector.

China says the U.S. also engages in cyberespionage against it, hacking into computers of its universities and companies.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Alum Is New Dean of Health and Human Services College

DON'T MISS

Who Is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Congressman Donald Trump Picked to Serve as AG?

DON'T MISS

The Key Races to Watch: Nov. 13 Update

DON'T MISS

Feds Agree to Raise San Luis Reservoir: More Water for Farmers, Communities, Wetlands

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: What Impact Does Deportation Have on the Central Valley?

DON'T MISS

How Will Election Winners Bredefeld and Chavez Fit in as Supervisors?

DON'T MISS

California Senate Leader Calls Union ‘Morally Bankrupt’ for Opposing a Vulnerable Democrat

DON'T MISS

R&B Concerts, Comedy, & Worship Take Center Stage This Weekend

DON'T MISS

Speaker Mike Johnson Wins GOP Nomination to Remain in Job, Faces Full House Vote in New Year

DON'T MISS

ICE Immediately Moves to Bolster Surveillance of Illegal Immigrants After Trump Win

UP NEXT

Who Is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Congressman Donald Trump Picked to Serve as AG?

UP NEXT

The Key Races to Watch: Nov. 13 Update

UP NEXT

Feds Agree to Raise San Luis Reservoir: More Water for Farmers, Communities, Wetlands

UP NEXT

Wired Wednesday: What Impact Does Deportation Have on the Central Valley?

UP NEXT

California Senate Leader Calls Union ‘Morally Bankrupt’ for Opposing a Vulnerable Democrat

UP NEXT

R&B Concerts, Comedy, & Worship Take Center Stage This Weekend

UP NEXT

Speaker Mike Johnson Wins GOP Nomination to Remain in Job, Faces Full House Vote in New Year

UP NEXT

ICE Immediately Moves to Bolster Surveillance of Illegal Immigrants After Trump Win

UP NEXT

You Can Win a Lexus in This Fresno Telethon Drawing. Get Tickets Now.

UP NEXT

Trump Says He Will Nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to Be Attorney General

Feds Agree to Raise San Luis Reservoir: More Water for Farmers, Communities, Wetlands

4 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: What Impact Does Deportation Have on the Central Valley?

4 hours ago

How Will Election Winners Bredefeld and Chavez Fit in as Supervisors?

5 hours ago

California Senate Leader Calls Union ‘Morally Bankrupt’ for Opposing a Vulnerable Democrat

5 hours ago

R&B Concerts, Comedy, & Worship Take Center Stage This Weekend

6 hours ago

Speaker Mike Johnson Wins GOP Nomination to Remain in Job, Faces Full House Vote in New Year

6 hours ago

ICE Immediately Moves to Bolster Surveillance of Illegal Immigrants After Trump Win

6 hours ago

You Can Win a Lexus in This Fresno Telethon Drawing. Get Tickets Now.

7 hours ago

Trump Says He Will Nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to Be Attorney General

7 hours ago

Bluesky Has Added 1 Million Users Since the US Election as People Seek Alternatives to X

7 hours ago

Fresno State Alum Is New Dean of Health and Human Services College

From student to scholar to professor and department chair, Dr. Kara Zografos’ history with Fresno State dates back nearly 20 years. Now she ...

4 hours ago

4 hours ago

Fresno State Alum Is New Dean of Health and Human Services College

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP File)
4 hours ago

Who Is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Congressman Donald Trump Picked to Serve as AG?

4 hours ago

The Key Races to Watch: Nov. 13 Update

4 hours ago

Feds Agree to Raise San Luis Reservoir: More Water for Farmers, Communities, Wetlands

Wired Wednesday Cover, 11/13/24, KMPH Screengrab
4 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: What Impact Does Deportation Have on the Central Valley?

5 hours ago

How Will Election Winners Bredefeld and Chavez Fit in as Supervisors?

5 hours ago

California Senate Leader Calls Union ‘Morally Bankrupt’ for Opposing a Vulnerable Democrat

6 hours ago

R&B Concerts, Comedy, & Worship Take Center Stage This Weekend

Search

Send this to a friend