US, Japan warn multinational firms vs听 China-linked hacking group BlackTech
TOKYO 鈥 US National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)听 and Japanese police jointly warned multinational companies of China-linked hacker group BlackTech in a cybersecurity advisory late on Wednesday.
The joint advisory, which also came from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and its Japanese counterpart, urged firms to review the internet routers at their subsidiaries to minimize the risk of potential attack from the group.
鈥淏lackTech has demonstrated capabilities in modifying router firmware without detection and exploiting routers鈥 domain-trust relationships to pivot from international subsidiaries to headquarters in Japan and the United States, which are the primary targets,鈥 the statement said.
BlackTech has been engaging in cyberattacks on governments and tech-sector companies in the United States and East Asia since around 2010, Japan鈥檚 National Police Agency said in a separate statement.
In 2020, self-ruled Taiwan鈥檚 security authority reported cyberattacks to some 6,000 government officials鈥 email accounts from Blacktech and another hacking group Taidoor, saying both were likely backed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Amid heightening US-China tensions over issues including Taiwan, US security officials are raising the tone of their warnings against China鈥檚 cyberattack capabilities. FBI chief Chris Wray earlier this month said China 鈥渉as a bigger hacking program than every other major nation combined.鈥
In May, cybersecurity authorities of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom joined the U.S. agencies in issuing an advisory on China鈥檚 鈥渟tate-sponsored cyber actor鈥.
Japan, a key US ally in East Asia along with South Korea, was allegedly attacked by Chinese military hackers that gained access to its classified defense networks in 2020, the Washington Post said last month. The Pentagon said it was confident about sharing intelligence with Japan despite the report. 鈥 Reuters
