A group of what appears to be Chinese hackers infiltrated a U. S. trade-focused lobbying group as the two countries wrestle with how they treat imports of each other’s goods and services.
A group of what appears to be Chinese hackers infiltrated a U. S. trade-focused lobbying group as the two countries wrestle with how they treat imports of each other’s goods and services.
The APT10 Chinese hacking group appears to be behind a « strategic web compromise » in late February and early March at the National Foreign Trade Council, according to security vendor Fidelis Cybersecurity.
The lobbying group discovered the attack almost immediately and took steps to remove the malware and protect website visitors, a source close to the group said.
It is « highly probable » that the web attack targeted key private-sector organizations focused on U. S. trade policy, Fidelis Cybersecurity said in a blog post. The company’s research has found a similar operation targeting government officials in Japan, it said.
« The connections we can draw from the Japanese campaign lead us to estimate that it is highly probable that the actors involved are known as APT10, » a well-known Chinese hacking group.
The attack on the lobbying group, dubbed Operation TradeSecret by Fidelis, targeted visitors to some of the organization’s web pages, including one used to register for meetings.
