Decoding nation-state tactics amidst emerging cybersecurity threats

Cybersecurity experts engage in tireless surveillance regularly, analysing countless signals to expose emerging threats and provide necessary security insights that safeguard the digital world.

Equal emphasis is placed on nation-state groups to situate their actions within the context of geopolitical trends alongside this vigilant work centring on threat actors and their support structures. This holistic approach is vital in interpreting the motives behind malicious activities and protecting potential targets from future assaults.

 

This article delves into the dynamic realm of Chinese nation-state tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), shedding light on emerging cybersecurity threats.

 

The sudden shift from traditional office work to remote setups due to the pandemic outbreak compelled companies to extend access to sensitive systems and resources previously inaccessible within corporate networks.

In a notable transition, telecommuting in the US surged from a mere 5% to a staggering 50% of paid work hours between April and December 2020. Thus, cybercriminals seized this chance to infiltrate people’s remote working environments, posing as legitimate remote workers to gain access to valuable resources.

Furthermore, the pressing need to quickly implement enterprise access policies left numerous organisations with insufficient time to conduct comprehensive research or establish best practices.

This oversight, in turn, presented vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit system weaknesses and configuration errors. Consequently, there has been a noticeable decline in instances of desktop malware as threat groups have shifted their focus towards the prioritisation of stealing passwords and tokens, which provide access to systems used by remote employees.

 

China’s shift to edge device exploitation and VPN vulnerabilities

A noticeable trend arising from China is the shift from targeting user endpoints and custom malware to a more concentrated effort on exploiting edge devices and maintaining persistence. Thus, this enables cybercriminals to utilise these devices to access networks effectively and operate within networks for extended periods without detection.

Within the scale of emerging cybersecurity threats, virtual private networks (VPNs) have also risen to prominence as a primary target. Despite organisations bolstering their security measures, cybercriminals exhibit remarkable proficiency in circumventing these defences. When a VPN is compromised, it effectively eliminates the necessity for traditional malware, empowering threat groups to grant themselves access by masquerading as legitimate users.

Another trend discovered by researchers is the strategic deployment of scanning databases like Shodan and Fofa, in conjunction with in-house internet scans, to identify vulnerabilities, exploit devices, and infiltrate networks, necessitating organisations to extend their security strategies beyond basic device patching.

A thorough strategy to combat these threats involves listing exposed devices, understanding network boundaries, and keeping detailed records of patch levels. By doing so, organisations can concentrate on deploying detailed logging and attentive anomaly monitoring.

It is critical to acknowledge that nation-state actors are continually advancing their tactics to compromise systems and unleash damage. By gaining a deep understanding of these threat groups’ attack patterns, organisations can empower themselves to defend against emerging cybersecurity threats with greater effectiveness and resilience.