Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Courts, Audits and Federal Agencies Found No Evidence 2020 Votes Were AlteredU.S. President Donald Trump used a primetime address Thursday night to allege that China carried out a sweeping compromise of American voter data and to revive doubts about the 2020 election, while stopping short of claiming any votes were changed.

Researchers Identified Two Undocumented Variants Used Since 2023Eset uncovered two previously undocumented Windows variants of the China-linked SprySocks backdoor tied to FishMonger and iSoon, revealing expanded espionage capabilities, rootkit-based stealth and continued targeting of government organizations across Asia and Central America.

Researchers Say Nation-State Actors Are Evolving Persistence TechniquesAn apparent Chinese nation-state hacking group gussied up its tooling with new modular functionality, say security researchers who observed a cyberespionage campaign affecting Asia-Pacific governments. The activity resembles attack patterns of the threat actor tracked as Mustang Panda

Website Popular in Korean Ethnic Enclave in China Hosts Apps Laced With a BackdoorA North Korean hacking group has been spying on a Korean ethnic enclave in China by infiltrating the Android apps of a regional gaming platform that hosts digital card and board games. Researchers attributed the supply-chain attack to a threat actor that Eset tracks as ScarCruft.

Solar Energy Spurt Comes Freighted With Chinese Nation-State Hacking WorriesThe European Commission froze funding for solar energy projects that use crucial components from Chinese companies such as Huawei, due to cybersecurity fears. The decision affects projects being funded by the European Investment Bank and other partner banks.

Alleged Nation-State Hacker Being Held in Houston JailU.S. prosecutors allege 34-year-old Chinese national Xu Zewei operated under China’s Ministry of State Security to hack universities and firms during the pandemic, exploiting VPN and Exchange flaws and exfiltrating research data in a Silk Typhoon campaign.

Routing Malicious Traffic Through Hacked IoT Devices Is Leading to 'IoC Extinction'Networks comprised of hacked domestic devices underpin a mounting number of Chinese nation-state hacking operations, warned British, U.S. and a slew of other national cybersecurity agencies. The networks comprise small office home office routers, IoT equipment and smart devices.

Also: Chinese Firms Indicted in Crypto-Linked Fentanyl Supply CaseThis week, charges filed in Uranium Finance hack, indictment of Chinese firms in fentanyl supply case, a class action lawsuit against Nvidia, Drift Protocol exploit, KuCoin operational barriers in the United States and a U.K. sanction filed against Xinbi.

Chinese Hacking Firm iSoon and Iran's Emennet Pasargad Among TargetsThe European Union sanctioned three Chinese and Iranian hacking operations that have been under U.S. indictments or sanctions for over a year - or, in one case, since 2019. The sanctions freeze assets and forbid EU citizens and companies from funding or otherwise doing business with the targets.

Google Unmasks, Disrupts Group Using Sheets for Command-and-Control PurposesLikely Chinese nation-state hackers used online spreadsheets as infrastructure for hacking campaigns that affected at least 53 telecom operators across 42 countries, Google disclosed Wednesday. Incident responders discovered a backdoor being remotely controlled through Google Sheets.

Also: Unleash Protocol Hack, LastPass Breach Linked to Crypto TheftsThis week, an alleged fraud kingpin deported to China, Bitfinex hacker gained early release, Unleash Protocol's $3.9M hack, TRM tied crypto thefts to the LastPass breach, Trust Wallet's link to the Sha1-Hulud attack, Flow's NFT loan fallout, Ledger's data exposure and Kontigo reimbursements.

Chinese Hacking Group Reportedly Behind the HackA top-ranking U.K. government official said that hackers targeted the government's foreign relations ministry but dismissed media reports that the attackers stole a large trove of data. "We managed to close the hole, as it were, very quickly," said Trade Minister Chris Bryant.

Ink Dragon Compromised IIS Networks to Relay ShadowPad MalwareA Chinese hacking group is using compromised European government networks as relay nodes to route commands and support other hacking operations. Security firm Check Point attributed the campaign to a Chinese espionage group it tracks as "Ink Dragon."

Industry Wants to Stick to Voluntary MeasuresU.S. telecommunications networks are still vulnerable to foreign intrusion, national security and industry panelists told senators during a Tuesday hearing, warning that China and other adversaries are refining long-term access into American infrastructure.

3-Year Espionage Campaign Targeted Taiwanese FirmsChinese nation-state group APT24 targeted multiple Taiwanese companies as part of an espionage operation that went undetected for three years. The hacking group continually updated its malware infrastructure and tactics, enabling it to stay under the radar, Google Cloud said.

Claude Ran Up to 90% Intrusion Tasks Autonomously in China-Linked CampaignA Chinese state-linked hacking group relied on the Claude Code model to automate most of a cyberespionage campaign against dozens of organizations, Anthropic said. The AI firm describes the campaign as the first verified case of an AI system handling the bulk of a real-world intrusion.

Also, North Korean Hackers Remotely Wipe Android DevicesThis week, the U.K. government probed Chinese electric buses for a kill switch, APT37 abused Google's Find Hub in South Korea, Conduent said its January hack will cost it more, Hyundai disclosed a breach and Patch Tuesday. OWASP added two new categories to its Top 10 web application vulnerabilities.

Chinese Hackers Target European Diplomats with LNK File FlawChinese nation-state hackers are exploiting a Windows vulnerability to hack European diplomatic outposts, say security researchers - but operating system giant Microsoft says the flaw doesn't merit a patch. Hackers used a flaw already compromised by North Korea and Russia.

Concerns Grow Over F5 Hacking Amid Stalled Government ShutdownFederal officials are scrambling to contain nation-state hackers exploiting stolen source code from networking devices and software maker F5 amid staffing pressures created by the ongoing government shutdown. Stolen files reportedly include undisclosed vulnerabilities F5 had been researching.

Also, Internet-Exposed Call Center Software Under Attack and Patch TuesdayThis week: Chinese hackers exploited ArcGIS, Internet-exposed call center software under attack, October patch Tuesday, Massachusetts student sentenced for $3 million extortion hack, New York fined eight insurers $14.2M over data breaches, more than 100 VS Code extensions leak secrets.