🚨 Cybersecurity Alert! 🌐 Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) discloses a cyber-espionage incident where Chinese state-backed hackers infiltrated a Dutch armed forces network. Here's what you need to know:

🎯 Target: The breached network, used for unclassified research and development, had less than 50 users and was self-contained, preventing damage to the broader defense network.

🛡️ Exploited Vulnerability: Chinese hackers exploited a critical flaw (CVE-2022-42475, CVSS score: 9.3) in Fortinet FortiGate devices, gaining unauthorized access. The flaw allowed them to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted requests.

🔍 Persistent Threat: The attackers deployed COATHANGER, a stealthy and persistent backdoor, providing remote access to compromised appliances. It survives reboots and firmware upgrades, remaining concealed.

🌐 Attribution: This marks the first public attribution by the Netherlands to China for a cyber-espionage campaign. COATHANGER is associated with a code snippet from Roald Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter."

⚠️ Ongoing Threat: Similar attacks leveraging Fortinet vulnerabilities have been observed in the past. Stay vigilant, update security measures, and patch vulnerabilities promptly.

🌐 Global Impact: Cyber threats know no borders. Recent dismantling of a Chinese botnet involving out-of-date Cisco and NETGEAR routers highlights the international scope of cyber warfare.