China is once again accused of a vast cyber espionage operation

Has China infiltrated computer systems to seize strategic data? This was stated by a subsidiary of Google, Thursday, June 15, in a report. A group of cyberattackers, visibly linked to the Chinese state, is held responsible for a vast espionage campaign targeting in particular government agencies of several countries representing a strategic interest for Beijing.

“This is the largest known cyber espionage campaign by a China-linked malicious actor since the massive Microsoft Exchange exploit in early 2021.”said in a press release the technical director of Mandiant, a cybersecurity specialist who depends on the American tech giant.

computer hackers “stole e-mails of key employees working on issues involving the Chinese government.” The intrusion, which began in October 2022, was detected in May. “We continue to see evidence of malicious activity” in some systems, the statement said.

Victims “all over the world”

The company estimates with a “high degree of trust” that the group responsible for the attack, carried out via e-mail, “carried out espionage activities in support of China”, can we read in the report. attackers “aggressively targeted specific data to exfiltrate” in victims “located in at least 16 different countries”an attack “which has affected organizations in the public and private sectors all over the world”.

These victims are for “nearly a third” government agencies, which supports the hypothesis, according to Mandiant, of an attack carried out on “espionage purposes.” Among them: ministries of foreign affairs, as well as research organizations and foreign trade missions based in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The choice of targets is directly linked to the “high priority issues for China, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, including Taiwan”notes the subsidiary of Google.