China’s Cyber Shenanigans: Unmasking the Patent Parade Powering Hafnium’s Hack Attack
A new report reveals over a dozen patents tied to China’s cyber-espionage operations, linked to the group Hafnium, also known as Silk Typhoon. These patents, including tools for extracting encrypted data, suggest companies like Shanghai Firetech may support operations beyond those publicly attributed to Hafnium.
Hot Take:
China’s cyber-espionage game just got a new playbook, and it’s packed with more surprises than a magician’s hat! Who knew patents could be the new skeletons in the closet, revealing the sneaky tricks of the digital trade? The espionage Olympics just got a whole lot more interesting!
Key Points:
- Over a dozen patents linked to firms supporting China’s cyber-espionage operations have been uncovered.
- The patents are tied to the advanced persistent threat group, Hafnium, also called Silk Typhoon by Microsoft.
- The July 2025 indictment of two Chinese nationals, Xu Zewei and Zhang Yu, revealed ties to previously unassociated firms, Shanghai Powerock and Shanghai Firetech.
- These firms have developed tools for encrypted data extraction, traffic interception, and file recovery from protected drives.
- Recent filings suggest these tools might support operations beyond those publicly attributed to Hafnium.
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