A Chinese government-backed criminal gang successfully hacked computers by at least six U.S. governments between May 2021 and February this year, according to a study published by Internet security company Mandiant on Tuesday.
The group, known as APT41, allegedly used the threat to web applications to infiltrate provincial government networks, Mandiant said.
APT41, which Mandiant claims to have carried out state-sponsored intelligence on behalf of Beijing, took advantage of software errors and immediately took advantage of the security risks posed by the public by researchers. The hackers also changed their weapons to attack in different ways, he said.
“The latest APT41 activity against U.S. provincial governments contains important new skills, ranging from new attack vectors to backlash tools and techniques,” the researchers said.
“APT41 can quickly adapt to its first access strategy by re-invading the environment using a different vector, or by quickly operating a new vulnerability.”
Mandiant, the company behind Tuesday’s survey, is a US-based cybersecurity firm based on the US-based Nasdaq On Tuesday, Google said it plans to acquire the company for around $ 5.4 billion.
Some researchers, including BlackBerrys, have previously identified APT41 as “the largest cyberthreat group sponsored by the Chinese government.” This is based on a study the company published last year that built on other reports on APT41 and revealed some of the cyber attacks the group had committed.
China’s ambassador to the UK could not be reached for comment. China has repeatedly denied involvement in cyberespionage.
In September 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice sued five Chinese nationals, including those claiming to be part of APT41, and computer hacking affecting more than 100 victim companies in the US and abroad.
Mandiant said on Tuesday that APT41 appeared to be “untouched” by the case and its intentions “known”.
“The overall objectives of the APT41 campaign are unknown. Their persistence in gaining access to government networks, which is reflected in the re-enactment of former victims and the identification of multiple agencies within the same region, shows that whatever they are after is important. We found them everywhere, and that scares us, ”say researchers.
Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray accused the Chinese government of “trying to steal” information and technology and launching cyberattacks attacks.
Last year, the U.S., European Union, NATO and other allies blamed China for a major cyberattack attack on Microsoft Exchange email servers.
Zhao Lijin, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, denied that China was responsible for the Microsoft Exchange attack.
“China strongly opposes and opposes any form of cyberattacks, and will not encourage, support or condone any cyber attacks,” Zhao said in July.