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: Extensive Cyberespionage

June 16, 2023
Reading Time: 2 mins read
in Alerts

 

Chinese state-run hackers have launched an extensive cyberespionage campaign, compromising hundreds of organizations by exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in a popular email security appliance, as revealed by Mandiant, a cyber threat intelligence firm.

Furthermore, this campaign is considered the most extensive Chinese cyber spying operation in years, with a “high confidence” judgment linking it to Beijing. The hackers targeted Barracuda Networks Email Security Gateway appliances, utilizing a remote command injection zero-day vulnerability that had been active since at least October.

Despite Barracuda Networks releasing a security patch on May 20, the company advised a subset of customers to replace their equipment immediately due to signs of ongoing infection even after applying the fix.

Approximately 5% of active ESG appliances worldwide have shown indicators of compromise, highlighting the persistence of the attackers. Mandiant, assigning the name UNC4841 to the campaign, found similarities in infrastructure and malware code with other Chinese threat actors, indicating a Chinese origin for the operation.

Mandiant warned that the hackers have the ability to move laterally within compromised networks, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance. The targets of the campaign included a ministry of foreign affairs in a Southeast Asian country, as well as foreign trade offices and academic research organizations in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Hackers sought email accounts belonging to officials involved in high-level diplomatic meetings. The initial access was gained through emails containing generic subject lines and body lures, designed to bypass spam filters and discourage thorough investigations.

The hackers exploited a vulnerability by injecting it into the filename of malicious .tar attachments, triggering the attack. Mandiant and Barracuda identified three primary backdoors used by the hackers, named SeaSpy, Saltwater, and Seaside.

In response to the patch released by Barracuda, the Chinese hackers modified SeaSpy and deployed it with new file names, indicating their ability to adapt and change tactics in real time. As defenders strive to counter their actions, UNC4841 is expected to continue evolving its methods to evade detection.

Reference:
  • Barracuda ESG Zero-Day Vulnerability (CVE-2023-2868) Exploited Globally by Aggressive and Skilled Actor, Suspected Links to China
Tags: BarracudaCyber AlertCyber Alerts 2023cyberespionageHackersJune 2023Vulnerabilitieszero-day vulnerability
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