China-Linked Hackers Exploit Windows Flaw to Target European Diplomats: A Zero-Day Comedy of Errors
A China-linked hacking group is exploiting a Windows zero-day vulnerability to target European diplomats. The cyber-espionage campaign involves spearphishing emails, malicious LNK files, and the deployment of the PlugX remote access trojan. The attacks, attributed to UNC6384 (Mustang Panda), aim to monitor diplomatic communications and steal sensitive data.
Hot Take:
Ah, the classic game of cyber cat and mouse, where the cats are Chinese hackers and the mice are European diplomats. When it comes to cyber espionage, China’s Mustang Panda group is galloping ahead, leaving European diplomats wondering if they need more than just a virtual cheese trap to fend them off! Meanwhile, Microsoft seems to be taking its sweet time with fixing the Windows zero-day vulnerability, presumably busy crafting the perfect apology letter to the world’s IT departments.
Key Points:
– A China-linked hacking group exploits a Windows zero-day vulnerability targeting European diplomats.
– Attacks are initiated through spearphishing emails with NATO-themed malicious LNK files.
– The PlugX remote access trojan (RAT) is deployed to steal sensitive diplomatic data.
– The cyber-espionage campaign has expanded beyond Hungary and Belgium to other European nations.
– Despite the severity, Microsoft has yet to release a patch for the zero-day vulnerability CVE-2025-9491.