China’s Cyber Rat Race: 20,000 Fortinet Devices Compromised in Espionage Campaign
Between 2022 and 2023, Chinese attackers compromised at least 20,000 Fortinet devices, including Dutch government systems, for cyber-espionage. Using a remote access trojan called Coathanger, the attackers remained persistent on these devices despite patches. The Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) confirmed the broader scope of this campaign.
Hot Take:
Looks like Fortinet devices had a party, and China RSVP’d with a cyber-espionage twist! Who knew firewalls could be so social?
Key Points:
– Between 2022 and 2023, over 20,000 Fortinet devices were compromised by Chinese attackers.
– The Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) confirmed the breach was larger than initially believed.
– The vulnerability exploited was a remote code execution flaw (CVE-2022-42475).
– Attackers utilized a remote access trojan (RAT) dubbed Coathanger.
– Many devices remain infected even after patches were made available.