At least 30,000 US organizations, including local governments, have been hacked in the past few days by an “unusually aggressive” Chinese cyberespionage campaign, a computer security specialist said.
The campaign has exploited recently discovered flaws in Microsoft Exchange software, stealing e-mails and infecting computer servers with tools that allow attackers to take control remotely, Brian Krebs said in a post on his cybersecurity news Web site.
“This is an active threat,” White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said when asked about the situation during a press briefing.
Photo: Reuters
“Everyone running these servers needs to act now to patch them. We are concerned that there are a large number of victims,” she added.
After Microsoft released patches for the vulnerabilities on Tuesday, attacks “dramatically stepped up” on servers not yet updated with security fixes, said Krebs, who cited unnamed sources familiar with the situation.
“At least 30,000 organizations across the United States — including a significant number of small businesses, towns, cities and local governments — have over the past few days been hacked by an unusually aggressive Chinese cyberespionage unit that’s focused on stealing e-mail from victim organizations,” Krebs wrote in the post.
He reported that insiders said hackers have “seized control” of thousands of computer systems around the world using password-protected software tools slipped into systems.
Microsoft said early this week that a state-sponsored hacking group operating out of China is exploiting previously unknown security flaws in its Exchange e-mail services to steal data from business users.
The company said that the hacking group, which it has named “Hafnium,” is a “highly skilled and sophisticated actor.”
Hafnium has in the past targeted US-based companies, including infectious disease researchers, law firms, universities, defense contractors, think tanks and non-governmental organizations.
In a blog post on Tuesday, Microsoft executive Tom Burt said the company had released updates to fix the security flaws, which apply to on-premises versions of the software rather than cloud-based versions, and urged customers to apply them.
“We know that many nation-state actors and criminal groups will move quickly to take advantage of any unpatched systems,” he added at the time.
Microsoft said the group was based in China, but operated through leased virtual private servers in the US, and that it had briefed the US government.
Beijing has previously hit back at US accusations of state-sponsored cybertheft. Last year, it accused Washington of a smear campaign, following allegations that Chinese hackers were attempting to steal COVID-19 research.
In January, US intelligence and law enforcement agencies said that Russia was probably behind the massive SolarWinds hack that shook the government and corporate security, contradicting then-US president Donald Trump, who had suggested that China could be to blame.
Microsoft said that the Hafnium attacks “were in no way connected to the separate SolarWinds-related attacks.”
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
RSS