Geek-Guy.com

Category: china

Auto Added by WPeMatico

Record-breaking 31.4 Tbps DDoS attack hits in November 2025, stopped by Cloudflare

AISURU/Kimwolf botnet hit a record 31.4 Tbps DDoS attack lasting 35 seconds in Nov 2025, which Cloudflare automatically detected and blocked. The AISURU/Kimwolf botnet was linked to a record-breaking DDoS attack that peaked at 31.4 Tbps and lasted just 35 seconds. Cloudflare said the November 2025 incident was part of a surge in hyper-volumetric HTTP…

China-Linked DKnife AitM Framework Targets Routers for Traffic Hijacking, Malware Delivery

Cybersecurity researchers have taken the wraps off a gateway-monitoring and adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) framework dubbed DKnife that’s operated by China-nexus threat actors since at least 2019. The framework comprises seven Linux-based implants that are designed to perform deep packet inspection, manipulate traffic, and deliver malware via routers and edge devices. Its primary targets seem to

China-linked Amaranth-Dragon hackers target Southeast Asian governments in 2025

China-linked hackers tracked as Amaranth-Dragon targeted government and law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia in 2025. CheckPoint says China-linked threat actors, tracked as Amaranth-Dragon, carried out cyber-espionage campaigns in 2025 targeting government and law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia. The activity is linked to the APT41 ecosystem and affected countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and…

Cantwell claims telecoms blocked release of Salt Typhoon report 

More than a year after national security officials revealed that Chinese hackers had systematically infiltrated U.S. telecommunications networks, the top Senate Democrat on the committee overseeing the industry is calling for hearings with executives from the nation’s biggest telecom companies. In a public letter released Tuesday, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., called for the CEOs of…

OpenClaw’s Rapid Rise Exposes Thousands of AI Agents to the Public Internet

In just days, a viral open-source AI assistant went from niche experiment to a widespread internet-facing risk.  OpenClaw, a self-hosted personal AI agent capable of executing actions on a user’s behalf, saw explosive adoption in late January 2026 — along with widespread public exposure that has raised concerns among security researchers. It “… has already…

OpenClaw’s Rapid Rise Exposes Thousands of AI Agents to the Public Internet

In just days, a viral open-source AI assistant went from niche experiment to a widespread internet-facing risk.  OpenClaw, a self-hosted personal AI agent capable of executing actions on a user’s behalf, saw explosive adoption in late January 2026 — along with widespread public exposure that has raised concerns among security researchers. It “… has already…

Google’s disruption rips millions out of devices out of malicious network

Millions of devices used as proxies by cybercriminals, espionage groups and data thieves have been removed from circulation following Google’s disruption of IPIDEA, a China-based residential proxy network. The reduction in available proxy devices came after Google’s Threat Intelligence Group used legal action and intelligence sharing to target the company’s domain infrastructure, Google said in…

Cybersecurity can be America’s secret weapon in the AI race

Much of the public conversation about the U.S. “winning” the AI race with China centers exclusively on each nations’ ability to develop and implement leading AI models. But amid escalating cyber threats, the rising reality is that the race will not be won merely by the nation with the most advanced technology, but the one…

Cybercriminals and nation-state groups are exploiting a six-month old WinRAR defect

Google Threat Intelligence Group warned that a diverse and growing collection of attackers, including nation-state groups and financially motivated cybercriminals, are exploiting a path-traversal vulnerability affecting WinRAR that was disclosed and patched six months ago. The high-severity vulnerability — CVE-2025-8088 — was exploited in the wild almost two weeks before RARLAB, the vendor behind the…

China-linked APT UAT-9686 abused now patched maximum severity AsyncOS bug

Cisco fixed a maximum severity AsyncOS flaw in Secure Email products, previously exploited as a zero-day by China-linked APT group UAT-9686. Cisco fixed a critical AsyncOS flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-20393 (CVSS score of 10.0), affecting Secure Email Gateway and Email and Web Manager, previously exploited as a zero-day by China-linked APT group UAT-9686. Cisco detected attacks…

China bans U.S. and Israeli cybersecurity software over security concerns

China has told domestic firms to stop using U.S. and Israeli cybersecurity software, citing national security concerns amid rising tech tensions. Reuters reported that China has ordered domestic companies to stop using cybersecurity solutions from more than a dozen U.S. and Israeli firms, citing national security risks. Tensions remain high over China’s push in semiconductors…

China-linked groups intensify attacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, NSB warns

Taiwan says China-linked cyberattacks on its energy sector rose tenfold in 2025, hitting critical infrastructure across nine sectors, with total incidents up 6%. Taiwan reports China-linked cyberattacks on its energy sector surged tenfold in 2025, targeting critical infrastructure across nine sectors, with total incidents up 6% YoY. Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) reports China launched…

How to scam someone in seven days

Romance scammers have apparently discovered astrology… and Taurus is their secret weapon. In episode 449 of “Smashing Security”, we take a look inside an actual romance-fraud handbook – complete with scripts, personality “types”, corporate jargon, and a seven-day plan to get victims from hello to hand over the crypto. Then Lesley “hacks4pancakes” Carhart delivers a…

Taiwan blames Chinese ‘cyber army’ for rise in millions of daily intrusion attempts

Taiwan endured a year-long intensified cyber offensive from China in 2025, that targeted the government and critical infrastructure — with an increasing focus on the energy and hospital sectors, according to a Taiwan government analysis published this week. Cyberattacks from China rose 6% compared to 2024, the National Security Bureau analysis concluded. Every major sector…

Evasive Panda cyberespionage campaign uses DNS poisoning to install MgBot backdoor

China-linked APT Evasive Panda used DNS poisoning to deliver the MgBot backdoor in targeted cyber-espionage attacks in Türkiye, China, and India. Kaspersky researchers spotted the China-linked APT group Evasive Panda (aka Daggerfly, Bronze Highland, and StormBamboo) running a targeted cyber-espionage campaign using DNS poisoning to deliver the MgBot backdoor against victims in Türkiye, China, and…

Cisco customers hit by fresh wave of zero-day attacks from China-linked APT

Cisco customers are confronting a fresh wave of attacks from a Chinese threat group that has actively exploited a critical zero-day vulnerability affecting the vendor’s software for email and web security since at least late November, the company said in an advisory Wednesday.  Cisco said it became aware of the attacks Dec. 10. The defect…

Key lawmaker says Congress likely to kick can down road on cyber information sharing law

With a little more than a month left before a foundational cyber threat information sharing law expires for a second time, Congress might have to do another short-term extension as negotiations on a longer deal aren’t yet bearing fruit, a key lawmaker said Tuesday. House Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., said the problem with…

Five-page draft Trump administration cyber strategy targeted for January release

The Trump administration is aiming to release its six-part national cybersecurity strategy in January, according to multiple sources familiar with the document. The document, which is a mere five pages long, will possibly be followed by an executive order to implement the new strategy. The administration has been soliciting feedback in recent days, which one…

SEC drops case against SolarWinds tied to monumental breach

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday dropped its case against SolarWinds and its chief information security officer over its handling of an alleged Russian cyberespionage campaign uncovered in 2020, an incident that penetrated at least nine federal agencies and hundreds of companies. The SEC’s decision brings to a halt one of the more divisive…

Top Senate Intel Dem warns of ‘catastrophic’ cyber consequences of Trump admin national security firings, politicization

Politicization of intelligence in the Trump administration, as well as the “hollowing out” of government expertise, is leaving the United States dangerously vulnerable to cyberattacks and other threats, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said in a floor speech Thursday. Mark Warner of Virginia chastised the president over what he called the politically-motivated…

Google, researchers see signs that Lighthouse text scammers disrupted after lawsuit

The phishing kit Lighthouse, which has aided text scams like those soliciting victims to pay unpaid road tolls, appears to have been hampered shortly after Google filed a lawsuit aimed at its creators. Google said on Thursday that Lighthouse had been shut down. Two other organizations that have tracked the suspected Chinese operators of Lighthouse…

Denmark and Norway investigate Yutong bus security flaw amid rising tech fears

Denmark and Norway probe a security flaw in Chinese-made Yutong buses, deepening European fears over reliance on Chinese tech and potential cyber risks. Bus operators in Denmark and Norway are urgently probing a security vulnerability in Chinese-made Yutong electric buses, raising concerns about Western dependence on Chinese technology. The issue highlights growing European fears that…

The hack that messed with time, and rogue ransomware negotiators

Time itself comes under attack as a state-backed hacking gang spends two years tunnelling toward a nation’s master clock — with chaos potentially only a tick away. Plus when ransomware negotiators turn to the dark side, what could possibly go wrong? All this and more is discussed in episode 442 of the “Smashing Security” podcast…

Smashing Security podcast #442: The hack that messed with time, and rogue ransom where negotiators

Time itself comes under attack as a state-backed hacking gang spends two years tunnelling toward a nation’s master clock — with chaos potentially only a tick away. Plus when ransomware negotiators turn to the dark side, what could possibly go wrong? All this and more is discussed in episode 442 of the “Smashing Security” podcast…

Government and industry must work together to secure America’s cyber future

At this very moment, nation-state actors and opportunistic criminals are looking for any way to target Americans and undermine our national security.  Their battlefield of choice is cyberspace. Cybersecurity is the preeminent challenge of our time, and threats to our networks impact far more than just our data––they impact the resilience of our communities, the…

Suspected Chinese actors compromise U.S. Telecom firm Ribbon Communications

A nation-state actor, likely a China-nexus one, hacked the U.S.-based technology company Ribbon Communications. Ribbon Communications is a U.S.-based technology company that provides telecommunications and networking. Ribbon Communications employs approximately 3,052 people as of December 31, 2024. The company reported annual revenue of US $834 million in 2024. The U.S. telecom provider disclosed a cyberattack…

National cyber director says U.S. needs to counter Chinese surveillance, push American tech

The United States needs to counter China’s “attempt to export a surveillance state across planet Earth,” and instead push a “clean American tech stack” globally, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said Friday. “It’s important that we send that message and engage with not only partners that we have now, but potential partners who are looking…

Shifting from reactive to proactive: Cyber resilience amid nation-state espionage

In recent years, the cybersecurity industry has made significant strides in securing endpoints with advanced Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions, and we have been successful in making life more difficult for our adversaries.  While this progress is a victory, it has also produced a predictable and dangerous consequence where threat actors are shifting their…

How to hack a prison, and the hidden threat of online checkouts

A literal insider threat: we head to a Romanian prison where “self-service” web kiosks allowed inmates to run wild. Then we head to the checkout aisle to ask why JavaScript on payment pages went feral, and how new PCI DSS rules are finally muzzling Magecart-style skimmers. Plus: Graham reveals his new-found superpower with Keyboard Maestro,…

China’s spy agency accuses NSA of yearslong attack on the country’s timekeeping service

China’s Ministry of State Security accused the National Security Agency of conducting a yearslong attack on China’s national timekeeping infrastructure to steal sensitive data and infiltrate the service for potential sabotage.  The NSA gained initial access to China’s National Time Service Center systems in April 2023 by using credentials lifted from employees’ mobile devices that…

China finds “irrefutable evidence” of US NSA cyberattacks on time Authority

China claims the US NSA hacked its National Time Service Center by exploiting staff phone flaws since March 2022, stealing sensitive data. China’s Ministry of State Security announced it has found “irrefutable evidence” that the US National Security Agency (NSA) conducted cyberattacks on its National Time Service Center, reports Bloomberg. The China National Time Service…

China’s ‘Typhoons’ changing the way FBI hunts sophisticated threats

Major cyber intrusions by the Chinese hacking groups known as Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon have forced the FBI to change its methods of hunting sophisticated threats, a top FBI cyber official said Wednesday. U.S. officials, allied governments and threat researchers have identified Salt Typhoon as the group behind the massive telecommunications hack revealed last…

National cyber director: U.S. strategy needs to shift cyber risk from Americans to its adversaries

The United States needs a “new, coordinated strategy” to counter its cyber adversaries and “shift the burden of risk in cyberspace from Americans to them,” National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said Tuesday. “Collectively, we’ve made great progress in identifying, responding to and remediating threats, but we still lack strategic coherence and direction,” he said at…

Venezuela’s President Maduro said his Huawei Mate X6 cannot be hacked by US cyber spies

Venezuela’s President Maduro shows Huawei Mate X6 gift from China’s President Xi Jinping, hailing it as “unhackable” by U.S. spies. Last week, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro showcased a Huawei Mate X6 smartphone, reportedly gifted by China’s President Xi Jinping, claiming that US cyber spies cannot hack it. Venezuelan President Maduro said that his device is…

Top FBI official says Chinese reliance on domestic firms for hacking is a weakness

China’s reliance on domestic technology companies to carry out large-scale hacking operations—as highlighted by the U.S. government and its allies this week—is a weakness that poses risks for Beijing, a top FBI official told CyberScoop. Cyber agencies from around the world published an alert Wednesday about what officials have described as an indiscriminate cyberespionage campaign…

China accuses US of exploiting Microsoft zero-day in cyberattack

U.S. intelligence agencies launched cyberattacks on two Chinese military enterprises dating back to 2022, in one case exploiting a Microsoft zero-day, China alleged Friday. The Cyber Security Association of China said that in the first case, U.S. agencies from July of 2022 to July of 2023 “exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Mail to…

Feds still trying to crack Volt Typhoon hackers’ intentions, goals

Federal analysts are still sizing up what the Chinese hackers known as Volt Typhoon, who penetrated U.S. critical infrastructure to maintain access within those networks, might have intended by setting up shop there, a Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency official said Thursday. “We still don’t actually know what the result of that is going to…

Senate legislation would direct federal agencies to fortify against quantum computing cyber threats

A bipartisan pair of senators are introducing legislation Thursday that would direct a White House office to develop a strategy for reckoning with the cybersecurity ramifications of quantum computers, and require agencies to begin pilot programs on quantum-safe encryption. Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., say the National Quantum Cybersecurity Migration Strategy Act…

Plankey vows to boot China from U.S. supply chain, advocate for CISA budget

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency told senators Thursday that he would prioritize evicting China from the U.S. supply chain, and wouldn’t hesitate to ask for more money for the shrunken agency if he thought it needed it. “If confirmed it will be a priority of mine to remove…

Microsoft SharePoint Zero-Day EXPLAINED — How Hackers Got In Without a Password

Two previously unknown zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft SharePoint Server (on-premises) are being actively exploited in the wild as part of a highly coordinated espionage campaign. Microsoft has linked these attacks to China-based APT actors, and at least 75 organizations worldwide have confirmed breaches. The flaws, identified as CVE-2025-53770 and CVE-2025-53771, enable unauthenticated remote code execution…

Microsoft linked attacks on SharePoint flaws to China-nexus actors

Microsoft linked SharePoint exploits to China-nexus groups Linen Typhoon, Violet Typhoon, and Storm-2603, active since July 7, 2025. Microsoft confirmed that China-linked groups Linen Typhoon, Violet Typhoon, and Storm-2603 exploited SharePoint flaws for initial access as early as July 7, 2025. “As of this writing, Microsoft has observed two named Chinese nation-state actors, Linen Typhoon…

Microsoft SharePoint zero-day attacks pinned on China-linked ‘Typhoon’ threat groups

Microsoft said two China nation-state threat groups and a separate attacker based in China are exploiting the zero-day vulnerabilities that first caused havoc to SharePoint servers over the weekend. Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon — the Chinese government-affiliated threat groups — and an attacker Microsoft tracks as Storm-2603 are exploiting the pair of zero-day vulnerabilities…

Singapore warns China-linked group UNC3886 targets its critical infrastructure

Singapore says China-linked group UNC3886 targeted its critical infrastructure by hacking routers and security devices. Singapore accused China-linked APT group UNC3886 of targeting its critical infrastructure. UNC3886 is a sophisticated China-linked cyber espionage group that targets network devices and virtualization technologies using zero-day exploits. Its primary focus is on defense, technology, and telecommunications sectors in…

Spain awarded €12.3 million in contracts to Huawei

Spain gives Huawei wiretap contracts, sparking concerns over potential Chinese government access due to Huawei’s links to Beijing. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior has awarded €12.3 million ($14.3 million) contracts to manage and store judicially authorized wiretaps used by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, raising concerns about potential Chinese government access due to the…

French police arrest Russian pro basketball player on behalf of US over ransomware suspicions

At the request of the United States, French police arrested a professional Russian basketball player who had a brief tenure at Penn State over accusations that he was part of a ransomware ring, according to overseas reports. News of the arrest of Daniil Kasatkin came in a court in Paris on Wednesday. His lawyer denied…

Italian authorities arrest Chinese man over Microsoft Exchange Server hack, targeting of COVID-19 researchers

The Justice Department said Tuesday that Italian authorities arrested a Chinese national whom DOJ said was involved in the massive Microsoft Exchange Server hack from 2020 to 2021, an arrest made at the United States’ request. The arrest stems from a nine-count indictment dating back to 2023, which named the arrested man, Xu Zewei, 33,…

GOP domestic policy bill includes hundreds of millions for military cyber

The tax and spending bill Congress sent to President Donald Trump and that he signed into law over the holiday weekend contains hundreds of millions of dollars for cybersecurity, with a heavy emphasis on military-related spending. The biggest single pot of money under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” would be for Cyber Command, a $250…

China-linked group Houken hit French organizations using zero-days

China-linked group Houken hit French govt, telecom, media, finance and transport sectors using Ivanti CSA zero-days, says France’s ANSSI. France’s cyber agency ANSSI revealed that a Chinese hacking group used Ivanti CSA zero-days to target government, telecom, media, finance, and transport sectors. The campaign, active since September 2024, is linked to the Houken intrusion set,…

LapDogs: China-nexus hackers Hijack 1,000+ SOHO devices for espionage

Over 1,000 SOHO devices were hacked in a China-linked spying campaign called LapDogs, forming a covert network to support cyber espionage. Security researchers at SecurityScorecard’s STRIKE team have uncovered a cyber espionage campaign, dubbed LapDogs, involving over 1,000 hacked SOHO (small office/home office) devices. These compromised devices formed a hidden network, called an Operational Relay…

LapDogs: China-nexus hackers Hijack 1,000+ SOHO devices for espionage

Over 1,000 SOHO devices were hacked in a China-linked spying campaign called LapDogs, forming a covert network to support cyber espionage. Security researchers at SecurityScorecard’s STRIKE team have uncovered a cyber espionage campaign, dubbed LapDogs, involving over 1,000 hacked SOHO (small office/home office) devices. These compromised devices formed a hidden network, called an Operational Relay…

LapDogs: China-nexus hackers Hijack 1,000+ SOHO devices for espionage

Over 1,000 SOHO devices were hacked in a China-linked spying campaign called LapDogs, forming a covert network to support cyber espionage. Security researchers at SecurityScorecard’s STRIKE team have uncovered a cyber espionage campaign, dubbed LapDogs, involving over 1,000 hacked SOHO (small office/home office) devices. These compromised devices formed a hidden network, called an Operational Relay…

Stealth China-linked ORB network gaining footholds in US, East Asia

A recently discovered operational relay box (ORB) network controlled by a China-linked threat group already exceeds 1,000 devices and is growing across the United States and East Asia, SecurityScorecard said in a threat report released Monday.  The ORB network, which SecurityScorecard dubbed “LapDogs,” is primarily composed of routers designed for small or home offices but…

Sean Cairncross has policy coordination in mind if confirmed as national cyber director

Sean Cairncross laid out his vision to senators Thursday for the Office of the National Cyber Director if he is confirmed to lead it. “A goal of mine is to make sure this office sits at the place that this committee and I believe Congress intended in the statute, and that is to lead cyber…

Rep. Garbarino: Ending CISA mobile app security program for feds sends ‘wrong signal’

The chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on cybersecurity is apprehensive about the Department of Homeland Security’s plans to end a program that vets mobile apps for federal agencies. Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday saying that especially in light of the massive Salt Typhoon telecommunications…

Top FBI cyber official Cynthia Kaiser exits for Halcyon

Cynthia Kaiser, a former top FBI cyber official, is joining the cybersecurity firm Halcyon this week as senior vice president of its newly created ransomware research center. Kaiser left the FBI last week after 20 years, serving most recently as deputy assistant director leading the bureau’s cyber policy, intelligence and engagement branch and eight years…

Top FBI cyber official Cynthia Kaiser exits for Halcyon

Cynthia Kaiser, a former top FBI cyber official, is joining the cybersecurity firm Halcyon this week as senior vice president of its newly created ransomware research center. Kaiser left the FBI last week after 20 years, serving most recently as deputy assistant director leading the bureau’s cyber policy, intelligence and engagement branch and eight years…

Top FBI cyber official Cynthia Kaiser exits for Halcyon

Cynthia Kaiser, a former top FBI cyber official, is joining the cybersecurity firm Halcyon this week as senior vice president of its newly created ransomware research center. Kaiser left the FBI last week after 20 years, serving most recently as deputy assistant director leading the bureau’s cyber policy, intelligence and engagement branch and eight years…

A house full of open windows: Why telecoms may never purge their networks of Salt Typhoon

When the news broke that a Chinese hacking group known as Salt Typhoon had penetrated multiple U.S. telecommunications networks, gained access to the phones of a presidential campaign, and collected geolocation data on high-value targets around Washington D.C., one of the first questions on the minds of executives and U.S. officials was how long it…

SAP cyberattack widens, drawing Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon comparisons

Hundreds of victims are surfacing across the world from zero-day cyberattacks on Europe’s biggest software manufacturer and company, in a campaign that one leading cyber expert is comparing to the vast Chinese government-linked Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon breaches of critical infrastructure. The zero-days — vulnerabilities previously unknown to researchers or companies, but that malicious…

DHS won’t tell Congress how many people it’s cut from CISA

The Department of Homeland Security won’t tell Congress how many employees at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency it has fired or pushed to leave, a top congressional Democrat said Wednesday. “You’ve overseen mass reductions in the workforce at CISA and” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the…

Senators move to quash the use of Chinese AI system by federal contractors 

A bipartisan Senate bill would formally ban the use of DeepSeek by federal contractors, part of a larger effort to keep the Chinese-made large language model out of government systems and networks, where lawmakers fear it could pose cybersecurity and national security concerns. The bill, introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.,…

House appropriators have reservations — or worse — about proposed CISA cuts

House appropriators on Tuesday challenged proposed budget cuts for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, with Democrats saying the Trump administration was disturbingly moving money away from the agency and a key Republican saying he needed to see justifications for the reductions. The Trump administration has proposed cutting CISA funding by $491 million, and some…

Tariffs could slow replacement of telecom networks, according to industry official

Tariff hikes will drive up prices and make it harder for telecommunications providers to replace networks more vulnerable to Chinese hacker intrusion, an industry official told lawmakers Wednesday. “Tariffs will only raise prices,” David Stehlin, CEO of the Telecommunications Industry Association, told Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla. While it makes sense to find ways to bring…