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One of 13 suspected companies is located at the University of Hainan.
A group of anonymous security researchers calling themselves Intrusion Truth discovered 13 shell companies in Hainan, China, through which the Chinese government is allegedly recruiting cybercriminals.
The companies found use common contact information, joint offices and post almost identical job advertisements on the Internet to hire clandestine specialists. These ads also include the same postal addresses and contact persons.
Firms practically do not differ from each other, and each describes itself as a rapidly growing, high-tech information security company, which strives to become a leading manufacturer of information security products and services in China.
“While companies emphasize their commitment to information security and cyber defense, the technical requirements they host indicate the search for cyber attack skills,” the researchers said.
Experts from FireEye and Kaspersky Lab associate the findings of Intrusion Truth with the Chinese government-sponsored group APT40, which has been engaged in cyber espionage since 2013. It usually targets countries of strategic importance to the Chinese One Belt and One Road project.
Some of these companies were contacted by specialists with Gu Jian, a professor of information security at Hainan University. In fact, one of the 13 suspected firms was housed in the university’s library. According to Intrusion Truth, Gu Jian is also a former military of the Chinese army.
Recall, earlier SecurityLab wrote about the cyber-espionage operation that the APT40 conducted for five years in order to strengthen the naval power of Beijing. Attackers broke into the networks of defense industry enterprises, stole secret blueprints and other useful information for further modernization of the Chinese naval forces and influencing elections in foreign countries.
“One Belt and One Way” is a Chinese initiative that seeks, forms and promotes a new model of international cooperation and development by strengthening existing regional bilateral and multilateral mechanisms and interaction structures with the participation of China.
A group of anonymous security researchers calling themselves Intrusion Truth discovered 13 shell companies in Hainan, China, through which the Chinese government is allegedly recruiting cybercriminals.
The companies found use common contact information, joint offices and post almost identical job advertisements on the Internet to hire clandestine specialists. These ads also include the same postal addresses and contact persons.
Firms practically do not differ from each other, and each describes itself as a rapidly growing, high-tech information security company, which strives to become a leading manufacturer of information security products and services in China.
“While companies emphasize their commitment to information security and cyber defense, the technical requirements they host indicate the search for cyber attack skills,” the researchers said.
Experts from FireEye and Kaspersky Lab associate the findings of Intrusion Truth with the Chinese government-sponsored group APT40, which has been engaged in cyber espionage since 2013. It usually targets countries of strategic importance to the Chinese One Belt and One Road project.
Some of these companies were contacted by specialists with Gu Jian, a professor of information security at Hainan University. In fact, one of the 13 suspected firms was housed in the university’s library. According to Intrusion Truth, Gu Jian is also a former military of the Chinese army.
Recall, earlier SecurityLab wrote about the cyber-espionage operation that the APT40 conducted for five years in order to strengthen the naval power of Beijing. Attackers broke into the networks of defense industry enterprises, stole secret blueprints and other useful information for further modernization of the Chinese naval forces and influencing elections in foreign countries.
“One Belt and One Way” is a Chinese initiative that seeks, forms and promotes a new model of international cooperation and development by strengthening existing regional bilateral and multilateral mechanisms and interaction structures with the participation of China.