Latest news with #hacking
The Verge
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Verge
Salt Typhoon hacked the National Guard too.
Salt Typhoon hacked the National Guard too. A Department of Homeland Security memo, obtained by Property of the People through a freedom of information request, reveals the group — suspected to have links to China — 'extensively compromised a U.S. state's Army National Guard network' for nine months last year.
Al Bawaba
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
Elmo returns to X after 'kill all Jews' and Epstein client list posts
Published July 16th, 2025 - 05:57 GMT ALBAWABA - Just days after Elmo's official account on X (formerly known as Twitter) was hacked, resulting in posts calling for the death of Jews and the release of the Epstein client list, the account has returned to its rightful owner. Three days prior, the hacked Elmo account referred to itself as "mechahitler" while calling US President Donald Trump the puppet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a client on the notorious Epstein list. The viral incident sparked widespread controversy on social media due to the posts' political topics. Elmo returns to X after 'mechahitler' and Epstein client list posts On Sunday, Elmo's X account was briefly hacked by an outside party, in spite of the security measures in strongly condemn the abhorrent antisemitic and racist content, and the account has since been secured. These posts in no way reflect the values of Sesame Workshop… — Elmo (@elmo) July 15, 2025 Elmo's X account released a statement condemning the hacker's words, which read, "On Sunday, Elmo's X account was briefly hacked by an outside party, in spite of the security measures in place. We strongly condemn the abhorrent antisemitic and racist content, and the account has since been secured." The statement added, "These posts in no way reflect the values of Sesame Workshop or Sesame Street, and no one at the organization was involved." Before posting the statement, the account wrote on X, "Thank you for being kind to Elmo and all the people in your neighborhood. Elmo loves you." The statement resulted in a flood of comments from angry parents demanding an apology from Elmo. A parent wrote on X, "I now can't stop my kids from repeating the words and language you used that day. Thanks Elmo." Another parent added, "This is bigger than an apology. How can parents know @sesamestreet apps are safe for kids? sorry does not get to the root for how this happened. What safety measures have been taken to ensure it never happens again?" Reports about Jeffrey Epstein were reignited by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after they revealed that he committed suicide during his prison sentence and didn't have a client list for his notorious island. In addition to its official claims, the DOJ released a video that captured Esptein in his cell alone during the night he died, revealing no foul play or an external factor. However, the closure of years of speculation, conspiracy theories, and political tensions didn't sit well with many individuals, sparking more debate and rumors on social media. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Japan Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Times
China-linked hackers seen targeting Taiwan's chip industry with increasing attacks
Chinese-linked hackers are targeting the Taiwanese semiconductor industry and investment analysts as part of a string of cyber espionage campaigns, researchers said on Wednesday. While hacking to steal data and information about the industry is not new, there is an increase in sustained hacking campaigns from several China-aligned hacking groups, researchers with cybersecurity firm Proofpoint said in a new analysis. "We've seen entities that we hadn't ever seen being targeted in the past being targeted,' said Mark Kelly, a threat researcher focused on Chinese-related threats at Proofpoint. The previously unreported hacking campaigns were carried out by at least three distinct Chinese-linked groups primarily between March and June of this year, with some activity likely ongoing, Proofpoint said. They come amid rising restrictions by Washington on exports to China of U.S.-designed chips that are often manufactured in Taiwan. China's chip industry has been working to replace its dwindling supply of sophisticated U.S. chips, especially those used in artificial intelligence. The researchers declined to identify the hacking targets but said that approximately 15 to 20 organizations ranging from small businesses, analysts employed by at least one U.S.-headquartered international bank, and large global enterprises faced attacks. Major Taiwanese semiconductor firms include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., MediaTek, United Microelectronics Corp., Nanya Technology and RealTek Semiconductor. TSMC declined to comment. MediaTek, UMC, Nanya and RealTek did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was unable to identify the specific hacking targets or determine whether any of the efforts were successful. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said in an email that cyberattacks "are a common threat faced by all countries, China included,' and that the Asian country "firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks and cyber crime — a position that is consistent and clear.' The activity ranged from one or two emails sent as part of the more targeted campaign focused on specific people, to as many as 80 emails when trying to gain information from the company at large, Kelly said. One group targeted semiconductor design, manufacturing and supply-chain organizations using compromised Taiwanese university email accounts to pose as job seekers and send malware via PDFs with URLs leading to malicious files, or a password-protected archive. Another targeted financial analysts at major unnamed investment firms focused on the Taiwanese semiconductor industry by posing as a fictitious investment firm and seeking collaboration. Two of the entities are based in Asia, while the third is based in the U.S. The FBI declined to comment. A representative of TeamT5, a cybersecurity firm based in Taiwan, said it had also seen an increase in emails being sent targeting the semiconductor industry tied to a few hacking groups, "but not a wide or general phenomenon.' The targeting of semiconductors and the supply chain around them "is a persistent threat that has existed for long,' the representative said, and a "constant interest' for Chinese-related advanced hacking operators. These groups often target "peripheral suppliers or related industries,' the representative said, such as a situation in June where a China-linked hacking group identified by TeamT5 as "Amoeba" launched a phishing campaign against an unnamed chemical company that plays a critical role in the semiconductor supply chain.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Exclusive-China-linked hackers target Taiwan's chip industry with increasing attacks, researchers say
By AJ Vicens (Reuters) -Chinese-linked hackers are targeting the Taiwanese semiconductor industry and investment analysts as part of a string of cyber espionage campaigns, researchers said on Wednesday. While hacking to steal data and information about the industry is not new, there is an increase in sustained hacking campaigns from several China-aligned hacking groups, researchers with cybersecurity firm Proofpoint said in a new analysis. 'We've seen entities that we hadn't ever seen being targeted in the past being targeted,' said Mark Kelly, a threat researcher focused on Chinese-related threats at Proofpoint. The previously unreported hacking campaigns were carried out by at least three distinct Chinese-linked groups primarily between March and June of this year, with some activity likely ongoing, Proofpoint said. They come amid rising restrictions by Washington on exports to China of U.S.-designed chips that are often manufactured in Taiwan. China's chip industry has been working to replace its dwindling supply of sophisticated U.S. chips, especially those used in artificial intelligence. The researchers declined to identify the hacking targets, but told Reuters that approximately 15 to 20 organizations ranging from small businesses, analysts employed by at least one U.S.-headquartered international bank, and large global enterprises faced attacks. Major Taiwanese semiconductor firms include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, MediaTek, United Microelectronics Corp, Nanya Technology and RealTek Semiconductor. TSMC declined to comment. MediaTek, UMC, Nanya and RealTek did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was unable to identify the specific hacking targets or determine whether any of the efforts were successful. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington told Reuters in an email that cyber attacks 'are a common threat faced by all countries, China included,' and that the Asian country 'firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks and cyber crime — a position that is consistent and clear.' The activity ranged from one or two emails sent as part of the more targeted campaign focused on specific people, to as many as 80 emails when trying to gain information from the company at large, Kelly said. One group targeted semiconductor design, manufacturing and supply-chain organizations using compromised Taiwanese university email accounts to pose as job seekers and send malware via PDFs with URLs leading to malicious files, or a password-protected archive. Another targeted financial analysts at major unnamed investment firms focused on the Taiwanese semiconductor industry by posing as a fictitious investment firm and seeking collaboration. Two of the entities are based in Asia, while the third is based in the U.S. The FBI declined to comment. A representative of TeamT5, a cybersecurity firm based in Taiwan, told Reuters that it had also seen an increase in emails being sent targeting the semiconductor industry tied to a few hacking groups, 'but not a wide or general phenomenon.' Targeting of semiconductors and the supply chain around them 'is a persistent threat that has existed for long,' the representative said, and a 'constant interest' for Chinese-related advanced hacking operators. These groups often target 'peripheral suppliers or related industries,' the representative said, such as a situation in June where a China-linked hacking group identified by TeamT5 as "Amoeba" launched a phishing campaign against an unnamed chemical company that plays a critical role in the semiconductor supply chain.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Exclusive: China-linked hackers target Taiwan's chip industry with increasing attacks, researchers say
July 16 (Reuters) - Chinese-linked hackers are targeting the Taiwanese semiconductor industry and investment analysts as part of a string of cyber espionage campaigns, researchers said on Wednesday. While hacking to steal data and information about the industry is not new, there is an increase in sustained hacking campaigns from several China-aligned hacking groups, researchers with cybersecurity firm Proofpoint said in a new analysis, opens new tab. 'We've seen entities that we hadn't ever seen being targeted in the past being targeted,' said Mark Kelly, a threat researcher focused on Chinese-related threats at Proofpoint. The previously unreported hacking campaigns were carried out by at least three distinct Chinese-linked groups primarily between March and June of this year, with some activity likely ongoing, Proofpoint said. They come amid rising restrictions by Washington on exports to China of U.S.-designed chips that are often manufactured in Taiwan. China's chip industry has been working to replace its dwindling supply of sophisticated U.S. chips, especially those used in artificial intelligence. The researchers declined to identify the hacking targets, but told Reuters that approximately 15 to 20 organizations ranging from small businesses, analysts employed by at least one U.S.-headquartered international bank, and large global enterprises faced attacks. Major Taiwanese semiconductor firms include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co ( opens new tab, MediaTek ( opens new tab, United Microelectronics Corp ( opens new tab, Nanya Technology ( opens new tab and RealTek Semiconductor ( opens new tab. TSMC declined to comment. MediaTek, UMC, Nanya and RealTek did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was unable to identify the specific hacking targets or determine whether any of the efforts were successful. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington told Reuters in an email that cyber attacks 'are a common threat faced by all countries, China included,' and that the Asian country 'firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks and cyber crime — a position that is consistent and clear.' The activity ranged from one or two emails sent as part of the more targeted campaign focused on specific people, to as many as 80 emails when trying to gain information from the company at large, Kelly said. One group targeted semiconductor design, manufacturing and supply-chain organizations using compromised Taiwanese university email accounts to pose as job seekers and send malware via PDFs with URLs leading to malicious files, or a password-protected archive. Another targeted financial analysts at major unnamed investment firms focused on the Taiwanese semiconductor industry by posing as a fictitious investment firm and seeking collaboration. Two of the entities are based in Asia, while the third is based in the U.S. The FBI declined to comment. A representative of TeamT5, a cybersecurity firm based in Taiwan, told Reuters that it had also seen an increase in emails being sent targeting the semiconductor industry tied to a few hacking groups, 'but not a wide or general phenomenon.' Targeting of semiconductors and the supply chain around them 'is a persistent threat that has existed for long,' the representative said, and a 'constant interest' for Chinese-related advanced hacking operators. These groups often target 'peripheral suppliers or related industries,' the representative said, such as a situation in June where a China-linked hacking group identified by TeamT5 as "Amoeba" launched a phishing campaign against an unnamed chemical company that plays a critical role in the semiconductor supply chain.
