Beware: The Hacking Group “Cloudhopper” Is Invasion Mode
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, Oct 3, the U.S. government dropped a bombshell: the notorious hacking crew known as cloudhopper (also called Red Leaves and APT10) has been ripping through technology service providers to grab sensitive data. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just issued a technical alert, warning that cloudhopper is all about cyber‑espionage and intellectual property theft.
The alert followed outspoken warnings from two top U.S. cybersecurity firms, who claimed the Chinese government’s hacking puppeteers are on a rampage as the U.S.–China trade war heats up.
Memorialistically, Chinese officials have consistently denied these accusations, but the real chatter in the cyber‑security trenches says otherwise. DHS wants U.S. companies to buckle down and fight back.
What’s the Deal?
- Cyber‑threat actors are still active and need our collective defense.
- Targets include industries like IT, energy, healthcare, communications, and manufacturing.
- Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are prime hunting grounds because they own the gateway to a lot of client networks.
Key Takeaway from DHS
Christopher Krebs, the DHS official, made it clear: “These cyber threat actors are still active and we strongly encourage our partners in government and industry to work together to defend against this threat.”
Why the Spike?
After a 2015 pact between President Xi Jinping and former President Barack Obama to curb cyber‑theft, the hacking scene had a lull. But that lull was short‑lived. According to Dmitri Alperovitch, CrowdStrike’s CTO, “I can tell you now unfortunately the Chinese are back.” He added that the group’s activity has surged over the past year and a half, making them the biggest threat for institutions in the U.S. and Europe.
FireEye analysts corroborated this uptick, noting that some Chinese hacking groups have become more aggressive lately.
Practical Advice for U.S. Companies
Here’s how to stay ahead of cloudhopper:
- Prevent: Harden your MSP connections and make sure they use robust authentication.
- Detect: Keep an eye on unusual traffic or zero‑day activity within your network.
- Respond: Have an incident‑response plan ready; it’s better to be quick than panic.
Severed connections with untrusted MSPs, routine vulnerability assessments, and employee training can drastically reduce the risk. While the tech world can feel like a battlefield, a little preparation can keep your company out of the crossfire.
Stay alert, stay secure—because when the hackers hop in, you don’t want to be the last one on the ground floor.
