China's Cyber Chaos: Hacks, Sanctions, and Shady Deals Exposed!

This is your Digital Dragon Watch: Weekly China Cyber Alert podcast.

Hey there, I'm Ting, and welcome to Digital Dragon Watch, your weekly dose of China cyber alerts. Let's dive right in because the past week has been anything but quiet.

First off, let's talk about the escalating cyber-attacks on Taiwan. According to Taiwan's National Security Bureau, government networks faced a staggering 2.4 million attacks in 2024, double the number from 2023. Most of these attacks are attributed to Chinese state-backed hackers, who are using a variety of techniques to infiltrate critical infrastructure systems, including telecommunications, transportation, and defense supply chains[1].

But that's not all. The U.S. Treasury Department recently imposed sanctions on a Chinese cybersecurity company and a Shanghai-based cyber actor for their alleged links to the Salt Typhoon group and the recent compromise of the federal agency. The sanctions target Yin Kecheng, who is believed to have been a cyber actor for over a decade and affiliated with China's Ministry of State Security (MSS). The incident involved a hack of BeyondTrust's systems, allowing threat actors to infiltrate some of the company's Remote Support SaaS instances by making use of a compromised Remote Support SaaS API key[3].

The U.S. Treasury also highlighted the involvement of Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., LTD., a Sichuan-based cybersecurity company that was directly involved in a series of cyber attacks aimed at major U.S. telecommunication and internet service provider companies. This activity has been associated with a different Chinese hacking group named Salt Typhoon (aka Earth Estries, FamousSparrow, GhostEmperor, and UNC2286)[3].

Now, let's talk about defensive measures. The National Audit Office in China recently published a report on cases of "profiteering from government data" and corrective actions, highlighting the need for stronger cybersecurity oversight. Additionally, the National Data Administration and other departments published opinions to regulate and promote the development and utilization of enterprise data resources, emphasizing the importance of data protection[5].

So, what can you do to protect yourself? First, stay vigilant. Chinese hackers are known to use social engineering techniques, phishing attacks, and zero-day vulnerabilities to infiltrate systems. Ensure that your systems are up-to-date with the latest security patches and that your employees are trained to recognize and report suspicious activity.

In conclusion, the past week has seen a significant increase in China-related cybersecurity incidents, with targeted sectors including government networks, telecommunications, and defense supply chains. The U.S. government has responded with sanctions, and experts recommend staying vigilant and implementing robust cybersecurity measures to protect against these threats. That's all for today's Digital Dragon Watch. Stay safe out there.

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