Chinese hackers exploit VLC to spy on foreign governments


Louise Jean

April 14, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.

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A Chinese group of hackers uses VLC to launch malware to spy on members of foreign governments. The group, named Cicada, Stone Panda or APT10 attacks organizations around the world, threatening the United States, Israel or India.

Nothing could be easier than using such widespread and simple software as VLC. Open access, completely free, the light VLC software is downloaded by almost everyone, which obviously facilitates the work of hackers.

Hackers sponsored by the Chinese government

To achieve its ends, Cicada uses a simple and effective hacking method. Hackers insert a malicious file into a clean version of VLC. Once inside, they use a VNC remote access server to control the computer and access files. They use third party software like Sodamaster to avoid detection.

The group could spy on foreign governments for the Chinese government, to which the American administration had directly linked it in 2018. This hypothesis is perfectly plausible given the means available to the Cicada group. Hackers target key organizations, as shown by repeated attacks against government organizations, NGOs, and even religious groups. Other private sector groups, such as pharmaceutical or telecommunications companies, have also been victims of these intrusions. These attacks appear to be still ongoing and may well pose a threat to the governments that China is trying to spy on.

VLC media player

To download

VLC media player

  • Many compatible file formats
  • Subtitle management

VLC Media Player is hands down the best audio and video player available today. Free and available for free, this software has everything to please because it is cross-platform, complete and very versatile. Download without hesitation!

VLC Media Player is hands down the best audio and video player available today. Free and available for free, this software has everything to please because it is cross-platform, complete and very versatile. Download without hesitation!

Source : Android Police



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