KUALA LUMPUR – The Prime Minister’s Office is among the five government organisations identified as victims of a persistent cyber espionage campaign.
Based on a report by research firm Insikt Group, Malaysia is targeted by a Chinese state-sponsored actor labelled Threat Activity Group 16.
The other organisations are the Defence Ministry, Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Other Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia have also been included in the list of “victims”.
More than 400 unique victim servers were found located in Southeast Asia interacting with malware command and control infrastructure with possible affiliations to the Chinese state-sponsored groups such as RedDelta and Naikon.
“The top three targeted countries within our data set were Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.”
According to Insikt Group, Chinese state-sponsored groups often target Southeast Asian governments and private sector organisations as part of their info-gathering on regional rival countries.
The research firm added that the countries targeted are the ones involved in the South China Sea territorial dispute.
“Chinese state-sponsored groups have traditionally been highly active in targeting the PRC’s rival claimants in the South China Sea, with the operational tempo often mirroring increased geopolitical tensions.
“For instance, escalating tensions related to China’s development of artificial islands containing port facilities, airstrips, and military buildings within the disputed Spratly Islands archipelago reportedly led to increased activity from Chinese state-affiliated groups in 2015.
“Throughout 2021, Insikt Group tracked a persistent cyber espionage campaign targeting the prime minister’s offices, military entities, and government departments of rival South China Sea claimants Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.”
The ongoing territorial dispute involves China attempting to claim authority over the South China Sea.
Insikt Group is a research group founded by Recorded Future, a global cybersecurity company and intelligence source. – The Vibes, December 9, 2021
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