A suspected China-linked cyber espionage campaign has targeted Serbia’s aviation authority and several European institutions, according to cybersecurity firm StrikeReady. The operation began in late September when phishing emails were sent to a Serbian government office overseeing aviation. Victims who interacted with the malicious links were redirected to fake Cloudflare verification pages, which disguised the delivery of malware. Further investigation revealed that similar attacks occurred in Hungary, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands, using decoy documents themed around European government activities. Researchers attributed the use of malware families such as Sogu, PlugX, and Korplug, which are tools historically tied to Chinese state-sponsored hackers. These malicious programs enable data theft, remote command execution, and long-term persistence on infected systems. The campaign reflects China’s broader strategy of cyber espionage to collect intelligence from European and global entities, similar to earlier incidents involving groups like Mustang Panda and UNC6384, both known for targeting diplomatic and governmental organizations. Such activities highlight Beijing’s continued focus on geopolitical intelligence gathering and strategic influence. To mitigate the risk of such attacks, organizations should enhance email security through advanced phishing detection systems and regular employee awareness training. Implementing multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection, and network segmentation can help contain potential breaches. Governments and institutions should also collaborate on intelligence sharing and threat analysis to quickly identify and respond to cross-border cyber campaigns. Routine patch management and the verification of document sources remain essential to prevent malware infiltration through deceptive phishing tactics.
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