New Chinese Cyber Espionage Tool ‘Daxin’ Surfaces.

Security researchers at Symantec, a leading cybersecurity firm in the United States, have identified a “very sophisticated” Chinese hacking tool that has remained hidden for more than a decade.

According to a US official, the discovery was shared with the US administration in recent months, who then shared the information with overseas allies. On Monday, Symantec, a branch of Broadcom, released its research on the tool, which it calls Daxin.

Clayton Romans, associate director of the US Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency, said, “It’s something we haven’t seen before” (CISA). “This is exactly the kind of information we’re looking for.”

Along with the new research paper, CISA emphasized Symantec’s participation in the JCDC, a collaborative public-private cybersecurity information sharing cooperation.

The Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, or JCDC, is a group of federal defense agencies, including the FBI and the National Security Agency, as well as 22 U.S. technology businesses, that share information regarding ongoing cyberattacks.

A request for comment from the Chinese embassy in Washington was not returned.

“Without this public research, the capabilities of this malware would be exceedingly difficult to identify,” said Neil Jenkins, chief analytics officer at the Cyber Threat Alliance, a non-profit organization that brings together cybersecurity professionals to share data.

According to Vikram Thakur, a technical director at Symantec, the attribution to China is predicated on instances where Daxin components were coupled with other known, Chinese-linked computer hacker infrastructure or intrusions.

The discovery of Daxin was notable, according to Symantec experts, because of the scope of the incursions and the advanced nature of the program.

“The most recent known Daxin attacks happened in November 2021,” according to the research paper. “The attackers put a lot of effort into developing communication strategies that fit in with normal network traffic,” according to Daxin’s capabilities.

High-level, non-Western government agencies in Asia and Africa, including Ministries of Justice, were among Daxin’s victims, according to Thakur.

“Once a computer is infected, Daxin can be operated from anywhere in the world,” Thakur said. “That’s what sets the bar higher than the malware we see coming from Chinese-based groups.”

According to Romans, he is unaware of any affected companies in the United States, but there are infections all over the world, which the US government is assisting in notifying.

“Clearly, the actors have been effective not just in running campaigns but also in keeping their creation hidden for well over a decade,” Thakur added.

This is only the beginning of a tsunami of cyber infrastructure being prodded at as people inevitably test their skills behind a computer in light of global political unrest. The truth is, cyber security is a cat and mouse game. Vulnerabilities are inherent in these complex systems because they’re built for the end user, and not to prevent people from snooping around in the back end. Most of the cyber infrastructure currently in place could be considered practically naked in terms of cyber security because there are so many ways to exploit data. Why else would China go crazy for data like the leprechaun hoarding lucky charms in the old commercials? It’s valuable and its available; There’s a market for it, and you’re the product. Our complex way of life as a civilization has inadvertently created multiple back doors to be exploited by people more tech savvy than the rest of us. Technology related vulnerabilities can be expected to be magnified and exploited in the coming years for various reasons; political or criminally motivated.

No one man can make sense of this elaborate illusion cast over the common man of society, but collectively we can point out each limitation forced upon us and bring it forward as an injustice to the public. In Matthew 10:34 Jesus says: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” We’re meant to go down preaching the gospel and guiding others to salvation. This could be considered the bravest task a man or woman of faith could undertake, but make no mistake it will bear fruit in the kingdom of heaven. Stay inquisitive in the word of God, and the world around you.