Two Chinese APT Groups Ramp Up Cyber Espionage Against ASEAN Countries

Two China-linked advanced persistent threat (APT) groups have been observed targeting entities and member countries affiliated with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as part of a cyber espionage campaign over the past three months. This includes the threat actor known as Mustang Panda, which has been recently linked to cyber attacks against Myanmar as well as

Mustang Panda Targets Asia with Advanced PlugX Variant DOPLUGS

The China-linked threat actor known as Mustang Panda has targeted various Asian countries using a variant of the PlugX (aka Korplug) backdoor dubbed DOPLUGS. "The piece of customized PlugX malware is dissimilar to the general type of the PlugX malware that contains a completed backdoor command module, and that the former is only used for downloading the latter," Trend Micro researchers Sunny Lu

Malicious Ads on Google Target Chinese Users with Fake Messaging Apps

Chinese-speaking users have been targeted by malicious Google ads for restricted messaging apps like Telegram as part of an ongoing malvertising campaign. "The threat actor is abusing Google advertiser accounts to create malicious ads and pointing them to pages where unsuspecting users will download Remote Administration Trojan (RATs) instead," Malwarebytes' Jérôme Segura said in a

Carderbee Attacks: Hong Kong Organizations Targeted via Malicious Software Updates

A previously undocumented threat cluster has been linked to a software supply chain attack targeting organizations primarily located in Hong Kong and other regions in Asia. The Symantec Threat Hunter Team, part of Broadcom, is tracking the activity under its insect-themed moniker Carderbee. The attacks, per the cybersecurity firm, leverage a trojanized version of a legitimate software called

Pakistani Entities Targeted in Sophisticated Attack Deploying ShadowPad Malware

An unidentified threat actor compromised an application used by multiple entities in Pakistan to deliver ShadowPad, a successor to the PlugX backdoor that's commonly associated with Chinese hacking crews. Targets included a Pakistan government entity, a public sector bank, and a telecommunications provider, according to Trend Micro. The infections took place between mid-February 2022 and

Chinese Hackers Use HTML Smuggling to Infiltrate European Ministries with PlugX

A Chinese nation-state group has been observed targeting Foreign Affairs ministries and embassies in Europe using HTML smuggling techniques to deliver the PlugX remote access trojan on compromised systems. Cybersecurity firm Check Point said the activity, dubbed SmugX, has been ongoing since at least December 2022, adding it's part of a broader trend of Chinese adversaries shifting their focus

Hackers Exploiting Remote Desktop Software Flaws to Deploy PlugX Malware

Security vulnerabilities in remote desktop programs such as Sunlogin and AweSun are being exploited by threat actors to deploy the PlugX malware. AhnLab Security Emergency Response Center (ASEC), in a new analysis, said it marks the continued abuse of the flaws to deliver a variety of payloads on compromised systems. This includes the Sliver post-exploitation framework, XMRig cryptocurrency