Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Researchers found China’s Daxin rootkit and a new Stupig backdoor on a Taiwan firm’s network, suggesting a stealthy intrusion dating back to 2013. Symantec’s Threat Hunter Team found Daxin running on a compromised host at a Taiwan-based subsidiary of a multinational high-tech manufacturer in 2026. Daxin is a Windows kernel-mode rootkit that Symantec first documented […]

China-linked FishMonger used two SprySOCKS Windows variants that leveraged kernel drivers and the Print Spooler to target governments in four countries. ESET researchers have found two previously undocumented Windows versions of SprySOCKS, a backdoor that the security community had until now treated as Linux-only. Trend Micro first documented the Linux variant in September 2023 and […]

FishMonger, a China-nexus threat group, has deployed an undocumented version of the Linux backdoor against government targets in Honduras, Taiwan, Thailand, and Pakistan.

China-linked SprySOCKS backdoor gains stealthy Windows variants and 30-plus C2 commands

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged two previously undocumented Windows variants of what was believed to be a Linux-only backdoor called SprySOCKS

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.

A China-nexus cyber espionage group has been observed deploying a BSD variant of a known backdoor called BRICKSTORM, as well as two other malware families codenamed PLENET (aka GRIMBOLT) and AGENTPSD to target Linux systems

A Chinese espionage group tracked as UNC5221 has been accessing Microsoft 365 environments using the Brickstorm backdoor and previously undocumented malware named Plenet and AgentPSD. [...]

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a previously unreported threat cluster dubbed OP-512 (where "OP" stands for "opponent") that has been observed targeting Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) servers to deploy a bespoke web shell framework

Researchers Trace Linux and Windows Toolsets to Suspected PRC Espionage ActivityNewly discovered malware tied to China-linked actors breached telecom providers across Asia and the Middle East, highlighting growing efforts to gain persistent access into interconnected communications infrastructure.

The advanced persistent threat group also relied on SOCKS proxies like SoftEther VPN, tunneling tools that act as a middleman between victim and attacker.

A Chinese cyber-espionage campaign has been targeting telecommunications providers with newly discovered Linux and Windows malware dubbed Showboat and JFMBackdoor, respectively. [...]

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged fresh activity from a China-aligned threat actor known as Webworm in 2025, deploying custom backdoors that employ Discord and Microsoft Graph API for command-and-control (C2 or C&C) communications

A threat actor with affiliations to China has been linked to a "multi-wave intrusion" targeting an unnamed Azerbaijani oil and gas company between late December 2025 and late February 2026, marking an expansion of its targeting

The North Korea-aligned state-sponsored hacking group known as ScarCruft has compromised a video game platform in a supply chain espionage attack, trojanizing its components with a backdoor called BirdCallto likely target ethnic Koreans residing in China

Also, HexDex Arrest, Black Axe Crackdown, LeRobot RCE FlawThis week, election threats resurfaced. A prolific hacker arrested. Black Axe network disrupted. China-linked disinformation targets Tibet. Exploited ScreenConnect and Windows flaws raise alarms. Minecraft gamers hit with stealer malware. A critical AI framework bug enables remote code execution.

A China-aligned threat group is exploiting unpatched Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities to conduct cyberespionage against government and critical infrastructure targets across Asia and beyond.

Chinese-speaking individuals are the target of a new campaign that uses a trojanized version of SumatraPDF reader to deploy the AdaptixC2 Beacon post-exploitation agent and ultimately facilitate the abuse of Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code) tunnels for remote access

The threat actor gave itself plenty of options to support command and control, tapping Microsoft Outlook, Slack, Discord, and file.io for online espionage.

Microsoft says that Storm-1175, a China-based financially motivated cybercriminal group known for deploying Medusa ransomware payloads, has been deploying n-day and zero-day exploits in high-velocity attacks. [...]