Overview
- Security firm Proofpoint traced coordinated campaigns by three China-linked hacking groups active from March through June with intrusions continuing into mid-July.
- An estimated 15 to 20 targets include Taiwan’s leading semiconductor designers, manufacturers, supply-chain firms and investment analysts at a U.S.-based bank.
- One group leveraged stolen university email accounts to pose as job candidates and send malicious PDFs or password-protected archives.
- A separate operation masqueraded as a fictitious investment company to phish financial analysts with collaboration invitations containing credential-stealing links.
- Beijing has officially rejected any involvement, even as experts link the activity to China’s strategic drive for semiconductor self-reliance under tougher U.S. export restrictions.