This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

Hey tech guardians! Ting here with your China Hack Report for June 3rd, 2025. Grab your coffee and let's dive into the digital battlefield where things have been absolutely wild in the last 24 hours.

So yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth practically set the Shangri-La Dialogue on fire with his blistering assessment of China's cyber operations. He didn't mince words, folks – he explicitly called out Beijing for preparing what he termed "hybrid warfare" against American infrastructure. This comes just two days after Senate Democrats formally urged Homeland Security to revive the Cyber Safety Review Board to investigate that massive China-linked telecommunications hack that's been making headlines.

The Treasury Department is still dealing with aftershocks from that December breach where Chinese state actors targeted the Office of Foreign Assets Control. CISA just issued an emergency directive last night requiring federal agencies to implement their new patch for the "Salt Serpent" vulnerability within 48 hours – not days, HOURS people! This exploit bears striking similarities to the Salt campaign identified earlier by the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Banking and energy sectors are taking the brunt of it today. Three major financial institutions reported unusual network activity matching the Flax Typhoon signature, while two Midwest power distribution companies detected intrusion attempts that CISA attributes to the same actors behind the "Volt" campaign mentioned in congressional testimony.

The most concerning development? A new strain of malware dubbed "Jade Viper" discovered by Mandiant researchers late yesterday. This nasty piece of work specifically targets industrial control systems and has already been detected in water treatment facilities in Nevada and Arizona. CISA's immediate recommendation is to air-gap critical operational technology networks and implement their newly released detection rules.

For immediate defensive actions, CISA Director Jen Easterly released an advisory at 0600 this morning recommending:
- Immediate password rotation for all admin accounts
- Disabling of all Chinese-manufactured IoT devices in sensitive networks
- Implementation of the "Shield-25" detection ruleset
- Blocking all traffic to the newly identified command and control servers in the APAC region

Look, I don't want to sound alarmist, but this coordinated activity suggests Beijing is positioning for something bigger. The targeting of water systems alongside financial institutions follows the exact playbook outlined in that January Soufan Center intelligence brief on China's critical infrastructure infiltration strategy.

Stay vigilant, patch fast, and keep your detection tools updated. This is Ting, signing off until tomorrow's China Hack Report. Remember: in cyberspace, paranoia is just good planning!

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This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

Hello everyone, I’m Ting, and welcome to the China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense for Saturday, May 31, 2025. Strap in, because the last 24 hours have been a wild ride in the cyber trenches. Let’s dive straight into the big-ticket items.

First up—if you thought Volt Typhoon was yesterday’s news, think again. This notorious Chinese state-backed group has been back on the radar, targeting US critical infrastructure. Energy and water utilities continued to be in the crosshairs, with new malware variants observed attempting stealthy lateral movement across operational technology networks. The real kicker? Some of these implants leverage zero-day vulnerabilities—meaning there’s no patch yet—for remote code execution. CISA issued an emergency directive overnight, urging all operators in these sectors to immediately isolate unpatched devices, update threat signatures, and enable multi-factor authentication everywhere. And if any unknown outbound connections to Asia pop up on your logs, treat them as hostile until proven otherwise.

Meanwhile, the telecommunications sector has been reevaluating its posture after revelations that Chinese cyber units have burrowed deep into telecom and backbone internet routers. According to testimony from retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster this week in Silicon Valley, these intrusions aren’t just about espionage; they’re strategic groundwork for potentially crippling attacks should US-China tensions boil over. The House Homeland Security Committee is pushing for mandatory rapid patching of all edge devices and increased segmentation of critical systems to keep the would-be saboteurs at bay.

Let’s talk new malware. Over the past day, threat intel teams at Palo Alto Networks flagged a fresh loader campaign leveraging what they’ve dubbed “Red Chimera”—a modular dropper platform that can pivot between data exfiltration, wiper, or even ransomware functionality. The loader utilizes encrypted command-and-control channels that mimic Microsoft update traffic, making detection tricky. The affected sectors primarily include logistics, energy, and IT service providers. CISA’s flash bulletin recommends immediate deployment of network anomaly detection tools and strict review of any unexpected PowerShell scripts running on endpoints.

On the government front, the White House doubled down on threats of cyber retaliation, with Senior Director for Cyber Alexei Bulazel declaring at RSA 2025 that the US is prepared to “punch back” if these intrusions persist. This follows China’s recent, albeit indirect, admission that the Volt Typhoon campaign was their handiwork, which US officials viewed as a thinly veiled warning tied to America’s ongoing support of Taiwan.

And finally, for immediate defensive actions: patch all exposed edge devices, enforce MFA, isolate high-value assets, and triple-check for unusual outbound traffic. Review your backups, rehearse your incident response, and stay glued to CISA and FBI advisories. You know the drill—today's benign log is tomorrow’s headline-grabber. That’s all for today’s China Hack Report. Stay secure, and remember: if you can’t pronounce the malware, you probably don’t want it running on your network.

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This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

"Hey folks, Ting here with your Thursday, May 29th breakdown of China's latest cyber shenanigans. And wow, do we have some juicy tech drama to unpack today!

Just this morning, researchers caught APT41 – that's China's Ministry of State Security-linked hacking group also known as Wicked Panda or Winnti – exploiting Google Calendar of all things! They've been using it as a command and control channel in a sophisticated espionage campaign targeting government entities. Pretty clever, right? Using our everyday productivity tools to blend in with legitimate traffic. Google's Threat Intelligence Group discovered this after finding an exploited government website hosting malware they've dubbed TOUGHPROGRESS.

Google's Patrick Whitsell confirmed they've developed custom fingerprints to identify and take down the attacker-controlled calendars. They've also terminated the Workspace projects the hackers were using, effectively dismantling APT41's infrastructure. If you're in government IT, you'll want to check your Google Workspace logs ASAP.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic just attributed a 2022 cyberattack to another Chinese group – APT31. This comes on the heels of Department of Justice indictments back in March against seven hackers associated with this group for widespread espionage targeting U.S. interests.

Remember Volt Typhoon? That massive campaign against U.S. critical infrastructure? Well, it turns out Chinese officials secretly admitted to conducting those attacks during a Geneva summit last December. According to The Wall Street Journal, the admission came during meetings with the outgoing Biden administration. The kicker? American officials believe these attacks were meant as a warning to the U.S. about supporting Taiwan. Volt Typhoon actors managed to dwell in the U.S. electric grid for 300 days in 2023 – that's almost a full year of undetected access!

And speaking of Taiwan, they're currently bearing the brunt of China's cyber offensive with government networks facing a staggering 2.4 million cyberattacks daily throughout 2024.

The U.S. Treasury Department hasn't escaped Beijing's attention either. Back in December, they suffered a state-sponsored attack targeting the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Office of the Treasury Secretary – both of which had administered sanctions against Chinese companies.

For immediate defense, CISA recommends implementing multi-factor authentication on all Google Workspace accounts, reviewing calendar sharing settings, and monitoring for unusual calendar invites, especially those containing suspicious links or attachments.

This is Ting, signing off until tomorrow. Stay vigilant and keep your calendars clean!"

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This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

I’m Ting, and yes, I read CISA advisories with my morning tea. Welcome to your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense, straight from the frontline of global cyber chess.

Let’s jump into the last wild 24 hours, because wow, was it a busy window for cyber sleuths. The hottest headline? The US government quietly confirmed a new strain of Chinese malware—nicknamed “ViperSight”—is circulating through critical infrastructure networks. First spotted in network traffic in Texas and Virginia, ViperSight leverages zero-day vulnerabilities to slip past even updated defenses. The malware’s sophistication rings all the bells of a Volt Typhoon offshoot, that same Chinese campaign previously caught camping in our electric grid for nearly a year.

Who’s getting hit? Communications, manufacturing, energy, transportation, and even construction industries find themselves once again in the blast radius. ViperSight’s talent is persistence, establishing backdoors and lateral movement across network segments. The FBI and CISA held a midnight joint briefing—never a good sign—warning that the malware’s command-and-control infrastructure is actively harvesting credentials and mapping out critical process systems for potentially disruptive attacks.

If this déjà vu feels familiar, that’s because it is. Just last December, the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Treasury Secretary’s own desks got breached by Chinese state hackers. Now, analysts see this as a ramp-up: tech supply chains are under systematic probing, with the goal of slowing or sabotaging a US response in the event of a Taiwan crisis. There’s chatter about reconnaissance in military-linked logistics and port databases—anything to create fog in a moment of geopolitical heat.

Speaking of surveillance, the FBI confirmed that over a million US cellphone records were recently accessed by Chinese operatives. They know who we called, when, and likely, where. The attacks leveraged basic security gaps in large telecoms—seriously, the stuff that gets you dinged in a college InfoSec class. Industry leaders this morning received CISA’s updated checklist for hardening networks, including mandatory network segmentation, continuous endpoint monitoring, and, yes, rolling out that emergency patch for the newly discovered ViperSight exploit.

CISA’s immediate advice? If you’re a critical infrastructure operator, prioritize isolating sensitive systems, audit all user accounts for anomalies, and implement the just-dropped patch. The White House is reportedly considering a measured cyber-retaliation but is first demanding full compliance from private sector partners.

So, recap: new ViperSight malware, communications and energy sectors hit hardest, emergency patches live now, and official warnings sound clear as a bell—China’s hybrid tactics are escalating. If the last day taught us anything, it’s that cyber defense isn’t a part-time gig. Stay paranoid, patch fast, audit twice, and maybe—just maybe—get some sleep tonight. This is Ting, signing off until the next breach.

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This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

Hey, cyber squad! Ting here, coming to you with the spiciest China-linked cyber threats that have been keeping US security teams up at night. Grab your coffee because we've got a lot to unpack in today's China Hack Report.

The biggest bombshell dropped two days ago when Cisco Talos revealed that a suspected Chinese hacking crew has been actively exploiting a remote code execution vulnerability in Trimble Cityworks, targeting US local city utilities. This isn't just another day at the digital office—we're talking about critical infrastructure that keeps American cities running.

Meanwhile, tension between Washington and Beijing is reaching new heights. Just yesterday at RSA 2025 in San Francisco, Alexei Bulazel, Senior Director for Cyber at the National Security Council, delivered what amounts to a cyber throwing of the gauntlet. He warned China that the Trump administration is ready to "punch back" against intrusions into US critical infrastructure. Talk about diplomatic subtlety!

This comes after the explosive revelation last month that China actually admitted to conducting the infamous Volt Typhoon attacks during a secret Geneva meeting back in December. Yes, you heard that right—they admitted it! According to sources familiar with the matter, Chinese officials suggested these attacks were a response to US support for Taiwan. The Volt Typhoon campaign successfully penetrated multiple sectors including energy, communications, and even our electric grid, where hackers maintained access for a staggering 300 days in 2023.

Don't forget that just two months ago, the Justice Department charged 12 Chinese contract hackers and law enforcement officers for their involvement in global computer intrusion campaigns. These charges represent the culmination of years of investigation into China's cyber operations against US interests.

CISA's immediate recommendations include patching all Trimble Cityworks installations ASAP, implementing network segmentation for critical systems, and increasing monitoring for unusual authentication attempts—especially from unexpected geographic locations.

For those managing critical infrastructure, they're advising an immediate review of all remote access policies and implementation of multi-factor authentication across the board—no exceptions.

The pattern is clear: China's strategic infiltration of US infrastructure isn't random. The Treasury Department attack in January targeted offices administering economic sanctions against Chinese companies, while the broader campaign appears designed to disrupt potential US military response in any future Taiwan conflict.

Stay vigilant, update your systems, and remember—in today's digital battlefield, the best defense is a well-informed offense. This is Ting, signing off until tomorrow's hack report!

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This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

Hey there, cyber warriors! Ting here, bringing you the latest China hack report on this lovely evening of May 22, 2025. Grab your encryption keys and let's dive right into today's digital battlefield.

So, the FBI's Todd Hemmen just dropped some serious truth bombs at today's Cyber Summit. He warned that China remains "the broadest, most active, and persistent cyber espionage threat" to American interests. According to Hemmen, Beijing is racing toward that 2027 military milestone, which means we're facing an avalanche of cyber threats right now and in the immediate future.

Speaking of immediate threats, Cisco Talos researchers revealed that Chinese-speaking hackers have been targeting U.S. municipalities since January. These attackers are exploiting CVE-2025-0994, a vulnerability in Trimble Cityworks that could potentially compromise local government systems across the country.

But wait, there's more! Just this week, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies released a report exposing a sophisticated Chinese intelligence operation targeting laid-off federal workers. They're using fake employment sites and LinkedIn profiles to collect résumés and sensitive information. It's basically a digital honey trap for jobseekers with security clearances. Max Lesser from FDD's Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation notes that even a government employee's résumé can provide valuable intel about U.S. government operations.

On the zero-day front, security researchers identified a Chinese threat actor called UNC5221 actively exploiting two Ivanti EPMM vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-4427 and CVE-2025-4428) in a global attack campaign that kicked off on May 15. These flaws enable remote access and data theft, so if you're running Ivanti EPMM, patch immediately!

The White House isn't taking these threats lying down. Earlier this month, Alexei Bulazel, Senior Director for Cyber at the National Security Council, issued a stark warning to China at RSA 2025, saying, "If you come and do this to us, we'll punch back." This was specifically in response to intrusions by Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon APT groups, which have been infiltrating critical infrastructure networks in energy and water sectors.

For immediate defense, CISA recommends implementing network segmentation for critical systems, enforcing multi-factor authentication, and monitoring for indicators of compromise associated with these recent attacks.

That's all for today's China hack report! This is Ting, reminding you that in cyberspace, the Great Firewall works both ways. Stay vigilant and keep your packets protected!

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This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

"Hey tech defenders, Ting here with your China Hack Report for May 17th, 2025! Grab your coffee because we've got a doozy today.

So the cybersecurity world is still reeling from that massive SAP NetWeaver vulnerability, CVE-2025-31324, that Chinese APT groups have been exploiting like there's no tomorrow. Just this week, we learned they've compromised 581 critical systems worldwide! The attack has been so severe that the White House is now openly threatening retaliation against China.

Alexei Bulazel from the National Security Council didn't mince words at RSA 2025 in San Francisco, basically telling China: 'If you come and do this to us, we'll punch back.' That's some serious diplomatic spice! The Trump Administration is clearly taking a more aggressive stance than previous administrations on these infrastructure attacks.

The primary culprits? Our old friends Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon. These Chinese APT groups have been camping in U.S. energy and water networks for over a year now. CISA believes they're laying groundwork for potentially destructive attacks, which is why they've issued an emergency directive requiring all federal agencies to patch their SAP systems within 48 hours.

For those keeping score at home, this follows the Treasury Department hack from January where Chinese state actors specifically targeted the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Not coincidentally, OFAC had just sanctioned Chinese companies for supplying Russia with weapons. Revenge much?

House Republicans are pushing back too, reintroducing the Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act. As Chairman Moolenaar put it: 'The Chinese Communist Party is increasingly using cyberattacks to target our critical infrastructure, and it's time to take action.'

For immediate defense, CISA recommends:
- Patch all SAP systems immediately (obviously)
- Implement network segmentation for critical infrastructure
- Deploy enhanced monitoring for lateral movement techniques commonly used by these APT groups
- Review authentication logs for suspicious activity, particularly from unexpected geographic locations

Remember folks, this is part of China's broader hybrid warfare strategy. They're not just after your data - they're positioning for potential conflicts, especially regarding Taiwan, which saw 2.4 million cyberattacks daily in 2024.

Stay vigilant and keep those systems patched! This is Ting, signing off until tomorrow's cyber showdown. May your firewalls stay strong and your zero-days remain undiscovered!"

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This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

*Ting here, your friendly neighborhood cyber detective. Buckle up for today's China Hack Report - it's been a spicy 24 hours in the digital trenches!*

Good evening tech warriors! Today's May 15th, 2025, and Chinese cyber threats are dominating headlines after taking center stage at yesterday's Department of Homeland Security budget hearing for 2026. Lawmakers are sounding serious alarm bells over escalating threats from Beijing's digital warriors.

The big bombshell dropped this afternoon at RSA 2025 in San Francisco where Alexei Bulazel, Senior Director for Cyber at the National Security Council, delivered what I'm calling the cyber equivalent of a boxing glove to the face. His message to China? "If you come and do this to us, we'll punch back." Talk about drawing a line in the digital sand! This marks a major policy shift from previous administrations that Bulazel described as "hesitant" to retaliate against infrastructure attacks.

Let's decode what's happening: The White House is specifically calling out two Chinese APT groups - Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon - for infiltrating critical infrastructure networks in energy and water sectors. What's particularly concerning is that Volt Typhoon managed to lurk inside our electric grid for a whopping 300 days last year. That's almost a full year of undetected access!

Here's the juicy intel you won't hear everywhere: According to a Wall Street Journal report from last month, Chinese officials actually admitted to the Volt Typhoon attacks during a secret Geneva meeting last December. The admission reportedly stunned American officials present, who interpreted it as China's way of warning the US against supporting Taiwan in a potential conflict.

The Treasury Department isn't being spared either. They suffered a state-sponsored cyberattack in early December targeting the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Office of the Treasury Secretary - both entities that sanctioned Chinese companies in 2024.

CISA is recommending immediate patching of all systems, especially those using known vulnerable software, implementing multi-factor authentication across all networks, and segmenting critical operational technology from internet-facing systems.

The Justice Department has been busy too, charging 12 Chinese contract hackers and law enforcement officers back in March for global computer intrusion campaigns.

Bottom line: China's cyber strategy appears to be a one-two punch - gathering intelligence while simultaneously preparing disruptive capabilities for potential future conflicts. As we head into the weekend, keep those systems updated, those networks segmented, and remember - in cyberspace, what you don't see CAN hurt you. This is Ting, signing off until tomorrow's digital battlefield report!

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This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

Hey everyone, Ting here—your cyber sleuth with a keen eye on all things China and hacking! Let’s crack into the latest twists from the digital battlefield over the past 24 hours. No fluff—just the critical bits you need to know, fresh as of May 10, 2025.

Yesterday kicked off with another wave of China-linked cyber activity setting off alarms in D.C. The usual suspects? The infamous Volt Typhoon group, joined by emerging players like Salt Typhoon, both orchestrating sophisticated incursions targeting US critical infrastructure. Fresh government analysis revealed that Volt Typhoon has been lurking undetected for nearly a year inside networks that power our energy and water systems. Communications, transportation, manufacturing—if you can connect it, they’ve probably poked at it. The message is clear: these are not smash-and-grab attacks, but prolonged reconnaissance missions. Officials believe they’re laying the groundwork for the kind of destructive attacks that could paralyze a city or disrupt military logistics if US-China tensions over Taiwan escalate.

The most eyebrow-raising discovery? A new variant of modular malware tailor-made to blend in with enterprise management software. This allows attackers to live off the land, moving laterally across connected networks while dodging basic detection. Security teams at several major utilities uncovered traces of this toolkit in recent scans, prompting CISA to issue an emergency bulletin late last night. The guidance: patch now, especially on any public-facing systems running outdated authentication protocols, and review network logs for suspicious remote management activity.

Simultaneously, the White House is ramping up rhetoric. Alexei Bulazel, the Senior Director for Cyber at the National Security Council, didn’t mince words during an RSA keynote in San Francisco. He made it crystal clear: “If you come and do this to us, we’ll punch back.” The Trump administration, he said, is ready to launch retaliatory cyber strikes if Beijing crosses the line. The stakes? Nothing less than America’s ability to defend its infrastructure and, by extension, its foreign policy objectives—especially when it comes to Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury is still mop-up mode after last December’s major breach, where attackers went after both the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Secretary’s own systems. That operation wasn’t petty theft—it was part of a hybrid strategy to undermine US sanctions, steal sensitive intel, and test our resilience.

In summary: If you’re running critical systems, audit access, patch now, and follow the freshest CISA advisories. It’s a digital chessboard out there, and today, it feels like China’s making a move with every turn. I’m Ting, and I’ll keep tracking every byte. Stay vigilant!

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This is your China Hack Report: Daily US Tech Defense podcast.

Hey everyone, it’s Ting—your go-to cyber sleuth when China’s hacking headlines hit the wires! Buckle up because the last 24 hours have been a whirlwind of digital espionage, government warnings, and some eyebrow-raising new malware. Let’s not waste a byte—here’s your China Hack Report for today, May 6th, 2025.

First off, yes, the US cyber defense community is on high alert… again. Over the past day, all eyes have been on new malware variants traced back to Salt Typhoon, the ever-persistent Chinese state-backed group. This time, they've slipped a crafty loader dubbed “Flarejack” onto systems in the energy and water sectors, targeting operational tech networks. The malware’s modular build is making reverse engineers sweat, especially since it leverages zero-day exploits—a favorite move for these folks since last year’s Volt Typhoon campaign.

Speaking of Volt Typhoon, the ghosts of that operation are far from gone. In secret meetings late last year, Chinese officials indirectly admitted responsibility for those attacks on US critical infrastructure. If you remember, Volt Typhoon had access to the US electric grid for nearly 300 days—a fact that still keeps CISA’s sleep schedule erratic. The strategy was intimidation, plain and simple, meant to spook the US over its Taiwan support.

Now, trade tensions have added fuel to the cyber fire. With the US announcing new tariffs, experts like Tom Kellermann are warning that cyber is China’s chosen lever for retaliation. We’re not just talking high-level infrastructure probes—they’re mixing in invoice fraud schemes, some already tied to recent scams in the shipping and logistics sectors.

Let’s talk defense! The White House’s Alexei Bulazel made headlines at RSA 2025, warning that this administration will respond to state-backed hacks with actual cyber-punches, not just stern memos. The message: “If you come and do this to us, we’ll punch back.” No more hesitation—expect more public attributions, and maybe—just maybe—some US-directed cyber offensives.

CISA isn’t waiting around. Emergency bulletins are out, urging every critical sector to patch against recently revealed OS and VPN vulnerabilities that Flarejack exploits. Water utilities and energy plants are being told to segment networks and implement multi-factor authentication before the week’s out. Manufacturing and logistics firms, don’t get comfy—Salt Typhoon’s phishing kits are circulating, so review those email filters!

Legislators aren’t sitting on their hands either. The “Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act” is back on the table, aiming to funnel resources and authority to defend US critical infrastructure, especially against actors like Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon.

So, your top actions: apply those emergency patches, revisit incident response plans, and if you’re in critical infrastructure, assume breach. The landscape’s shifting fast, and China-linked groups are watching for any digital doors you leave ajar.

That’s your China Hack Report for today—I’m Ting, decoding the Dragon’s data games, so you can sleep just a bit easier… or at least know exactly what’s keeping everyone else up at night! Stay patched, stay paranoid, and see you tomorrow.

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