Menu

  • Alerts
  • Incidents
  • News
  • APTs
  • Cyber Decoded
  • Cyber Hygiene
  • Cyber Review
  • Cyber Tips
  • Definitions
  • Malware
  • Threat Actors
  • Tutorials

Useful Tools

  • Password generator
  • Report an incident
  • Report to authorities
No Result
View All Result
CTF Hack Havoc
CyberMaterial
  • Education
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Definitions
  • Information
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
  • Insights
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Tips
    • Tutorials
  • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Report an incident
  • About
    • About Us
    • Advertise with us
Get Help
Hall of Hacks
  • Education
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Definitions
  • Information
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
  • Insights
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Tips
    • Tutorials
  • Support
    • Contact Us
    • Report an incident
  • About
    • About Us
    • Advertise with us
Get Help
No Result
View All Result
Hall of Hacks
CyberMaterial
No Result
View All Result
Home Alerts

Chinese Hackers Exploit F5 Load Balancers

June 18, 2024
Reading Time: 3 mins read
in Alerts
Chinese Hackers Exploit F5 Load Balancers

Cybersecurity researchers at Sygnia have revealed a significant cyber threat involving Chinese threat actors targeting F5 load balancers. Over a period of two years, the Velvet Ant group executed a sophisticated campaign infiltrating these critical network devices. Despite initial remediation efforts by affected organizations, the attackers persistently exploited vulnerabilities in outdated servers and unpatched network appliances. Their tactics included using advanced techniques like DLL search order hijacking to maintain access and evade detection. This persistence allowed Velvet Ant to continue their operations, deploying the PlugX malware—a remote access trojan—across compromised networks.

Sygnia’s investigation highlighted the adversaries’ strategic capabilities in maintaining long-term access and control. The attackers demonstrated a deep understanding of network infrastructures, particularly targeting legacy systems like Windows Server 2003 without endpoint protection. They utilized PlugX to execute stealthy commands and establish covert command-and-control channels through compromised internal servers. This tactic enabled them to evade traditional security measures and persistently gather intelligence from the compromised networks. The breach also underscored the challenge organizations face in securing older systems and the need for robust defense strategies against such persistent threats.

Despite Sygnia’s efforts to mitigate the breach, Velvet Ant continuously adapted their methods. They leveraged tools and infrastructure commonly associated with Chinese cyber intrusion sets, indicating a well-resourced and persistent threat actor. The attackers’ ability to maintain a foothold for an extended period demonstrated their operational sophistication and the challenges in completely eradicating them from compromised networks. Sygnia’s findings emphasized the importance of enhancing security measures, including limiting lateral movement within networks, hardening legacy servers, and mitigating credential harvesting. These defense strategies are crucial for organizations to thwart similar advanced persistent threats and protect against sophisticated cyber adversaries.

In conclusion, the breach involving Velvet Ant and F5 load balancers highlights the evolving nature of cyber threats and the complex tactics employed by state-sponsored actors. Sygnia’s detailed investigation provided valuable insights into the attackers’ methodologies and the challenges in defending against such persistent campaigns. It serves as a stark reminder for organizations to adopt proactive cybersecurity measures, maintain updated security protocols, and continuously monitor and defend their networks against advanced threat actors seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.

Reference:

  • Chinese Threat Actors Exploit F5 Load Balancers in Persistent Hacks
Tags: BreachChinaCyber AlertCyber Alerts 2024Cyber RiskCyber threatDefenseDLLF5 load balancersJune 2024PlugXSygnia
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

APT41 Uses Google Calendar For C2 Operations

APT41 Uses Google Calendar For C2 Operations

May 29, 2025
APT41 Uses Google Calendar For C2 Operations

New PumaBot IoT Botnet Uses SSH Attack

May 29, 2025
APT41 Uses Google Calendar For C2 Operations

New NodeSnake RAT Hits UK Universities

May 29, 2025
Fake DocuSign Alerts Target Corporate Logins

Fake DocuSign Alerts Target Corporate Logins

May 28, 2025
Fake DocuSign Alerts Target Corporate Logins

Fake Bitdefender Site Spreads Venom Malware

May 28, 2025
Fake DocuSign Alerts Target Corporate Logins

Microsoft Void Blizzard Cyber Threat Alert

May 28, 2025

Latest Alerts

New PumaBot IoT Botnet Uses SSH Attack

APT41 Uses Google Calendar For C2 Operations

New NodeSnake RAT Hits UK Universities

Microsoft Void Blizzard Cyber Threat Alert

Fake DocuSign Alerts Target Corporate Logins

Fake Bitdefender Site Spreads Venom Malware

Subscribe to our newsletter

    Latest Incidents

    Cork Protocol Paused After $12M Exploit

    Victoria’s Secret Site Down After Breach

    LexisNexis GitHub Breach Affects 364K People

    Migos IG Hack Blackmails Solana Cofounder

    Tiffany & Co. Faces Data Breach Incident

    MathWorks Crippled by Ransomware Attack

    CyberMaterial Logo
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
    • Legal and Privacy Policy
    • Site Map

    © 2025 | CyberMaterial | All rights reserved

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password?

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In

    Add New Playlist

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Alerts
    • Incidents
    • News
    • Cyber Decoded
    • Cyber Hygiene
    • Cyber Review
    • Definitions
    • Malware
    • Cyber Tips
    • Tutorials
    • Advanced Persistent Threats
    • Threat Actors
    • Report an incident
    • Password Generator
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us

    Copyright © 2025 CyberMaterial