Salt Typhoon Strikes Again: Chinese Hackers Target Telcos, Universities, and Your Data!

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.Over the past week, we've seen some significant developments in China-related cybersecurity incidents. The Salt Typhoon crew, a Chinese government-backed hacking group, has been making headlines. According to Recorded Future's Insikt Group, they've compromised at least seven more devices linked to global telecom providers and other organizations, in addition to their previous nine US telecommunications companies and government networks[1].These intrusions happened between December 2024 and January 2025, with the Chinese spies exploiting vulnerabilities in Cisco devices, specifically CVE-2023-20198 and CVE-2023-20273. They targeted devices associated with a US internet service and telecommunications provider, a US affiliate of a UK-based telecom provider, an Italian ISP, and two other telecommunications firms in South Africa and Thailand.But that's not all. The Salt Typhoon group also conducted a reconnaissance operation involving multiple IP addresses owned by Mytel, a Myanmar-based telecom firm. And, they possibly targeted over a dozen universities, including the University of California, Los Angeles, to access research related to telecommunications, engineering, and technology.Now, let's talk about the US government's response. The Biden administration has been focusing on regulation and intelligence-sharing, but the incoming administration is looking to reduce the government's role in cybersecurity and increase its offensive actions[2]. Meanwhile, US officials continue to uncover and assess attacks by the Salt Typhoon group, which has given the Chinese government broad and full access to Americans' data and the capability to geolocate millions of individuals.In other news, China has been cracking down on cybersecurity violations within its own borders. The Changsha CAC reported on its network management and law enforcement activities for 2024, highlighting penalties for violations of data security and cybersecurity obligations[4]. And, the Chenzhou CAC published four types of typical cases, focusing on violations of illegal personal information collection and use by Apps, mini-programs, and websites.So, what can you do to protect yourself? First, make sure to patch those Cisco devices. Second, be aware of the threats and stay informed. And third, take a page from China's book and prioritize cybersecurity. As David Sedney, former deputy assistant secretary of defense, said, "It looks as if things are going to get much worse before they get any better."That's all for today, folks. Stay safe, and stay tuned for more updates on Digital Dragon Watch. I'm Ting, and I'll catch you in the next one.For more http://www.quietplease.aiGet the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOtaThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

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