Ethical Hacking News
The recent joint Cybersecurity Advisory highlights the TTPs used by Chinese state-sponsored actors, commonly referred to as Salt Typhoon. These actors are targeting critical infrastructure worldwide, exploiting known vulnerabilities and adapting their techniques as new flaws emerge. The advisory emphasizes the importance of patching historically exploited CVEs and implementing robust security controls to mitigate the risks associated with these sophisticated attacks.
The threat landscape has evolved to include sophisticated state-sponsored actors, particularly Chinese nation-state actors. The NSA and allied agencies have published a joint Cybersecurity Advisory on tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by Chinese state-sponsored actors, known as Salt Typhoon. Chinese tech firms linked to malicious activities provide cyber products and services to China's Ministry of State Security and People's Liberation Army. The advisory highlights several exploited vulnerabilities, including CVE-2024-21887 and CVE-2023-20198, being chained together for initial access and code execution on Cisco devices. Patching historically exploited CVEs is crucial, especially on exposed network edge devices, to stay ahead of these sophisticated actors. The report provides guidance on implementing robust security controls, monitoring networks closely, and maintaining up-to-date software to mitigate the risks associated with Chinese state-sponsored actors.
In recent times, the threat landscape has evolved to include sophisticated state-sponsored actors, among them the Chinese nation-state actors, which have been increasingly targeting critical infrastructure worldwide. The recent joint Cybersecurity Advisory published by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and allied agencies highlights the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) associated with these malicious actors.
The advisory, titled "Countering Chinese State-Sponsored Actors Compromise of Networks Worldwide to Feed Global Espionage System," provides a comprehensive overview of the TTPs used by Chinese state-sponsored actors, commonly referred to as Salt Typhoon. These actors have been linked to multiple China-based entities, including Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Huanyu Tianqiong Information Technology Co., Ltd., and Sichuan Zhixin Ruijie Network Technology Co., Ltd.
These Chinese tech firms provide cyber products and services to China's Ministry of State Security and People's Liberation Army, further highlighting the scope of their malicious activities. The advisory provides a detailed analysis of the tactics used by these actors, including exploiting known vulnerabilities, not using zero-day exploits, and adapting their techniques as new flaws emerge and mitigations are applied.
The report highlights several exploited vulnerabilities, including CVE-2024-21887, CVE-2024-3400, CVE-2023-20273, CVE-2023-20198, and CVE-2018-0171. These vulnerabilities are being chained together to achieve initial access, followed by code execution as root on Cisco devices such as Fortinet, Juniper, Microsoft Exchange, Nokia, Sierra Wireless, and SonicWall.
The advisory emphasizes the importance of prioritizing patching historically exploited CVEs, especially on exposed network edge devices. This is particularly crucial for defenders who need to stay one step ahead of these sophisticated actors. The report also provides guidance on how to mitigate the risks associated with Chinese state-sponsored actors, including implementing robust security controls, monitoring networks closely, and maintaining up-to-date software.
In conclusion, the joint Cybersecurity Advisory published by the NSA and allied agencies serves as a warning to organizations worldwide about the escalating threat posed by Chinese state-sponsored actors. By understanding their tactics, techniques, and procedures, defenders can better protect themselves against these sophisticated attacks and stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Tainted-Networks-Exposing-the-Tactics-Techniques-and-Procedures-of-Chinese-State-Sponsored-Actors-ehn.shtml
https://securityaffairs.com/181650/intelligence/nsa-ncsc-and-allies-detailed-ttps-associated-with-chinese-apt-actors-targeting-critical-infrastructure-orgs.html
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-21887
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2024-21887/
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-3400
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2024-3400/
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20273
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2023-20273/
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20198
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2023-20198/
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-0171
https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2018-0171/
Published: Thu Aug 28 14:36:04 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
