Recent reports indicate that a cyber espionage faction linked to China, identified as Mustang Panda, has allegedly initiated malware attacks aimed at the computer systems of commercial shipping firms located in Norway, Greece, and the Netherlands.
The disclosure, unveiled by cybersecurity entity ESET headquartered in Slovakia, aligns with alerts issued by U.K. and U.S. authorities concerning substantial cyber threats emerging from China, particularly directed towards critical infrastructure.
Mustang Panda, previously associated with espionage endeavors targeting governments and entities across Asia and Europe, has a track record of employing similar malware tools in its covert operations. These tools empower infiltrators to achieve comprehensive access to a device and execute commands upon establishing access.
This marks the inaugural documented case of a China-associated cyber espionage syndicate focusing on the commercial shipping domain. Robert Lipovsky, the principal threat intelligence researcher at ESET, highlighted a distinct interest from the assailants in this sector. However, the specific methods employed in the espionage, including the potential use of physically planted USB devices at the targeted companies or on vessels, remain unclear, as outlined in a report by NBC News.
In response to the allegations, the Chinese embassy in Washington has vehemently refuted any involvement in cyber attacks. Spokesperson Liu Pengyu emphasized that China, itself a target of cyber assaults, vehemently opposes all forms of such activities.
Source: safety4sea.com
