A Chinese hacking group exploited a software bug to compromise several internet companies in the U.S. and abroad, a cybersecurity firm said. Researchers at Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) said in a blog post the hackers took advantage of a previously unknown vulnerability in a software platform used to manage services for customers of Santa Clara, California-based Versa Networks.
Lumen said four U.S. victims and one Indian victim had been identified. It declined to identify them, according to Reuters.
Versa Networks issued an advisory acknowledging that the vulnerability had been exploited “in at least one known instance” by an advanced group of hackers, and urged customers to update their software to fix the bug.
Lumen said in its blog post its researchers assessed with “moderate confidence” that the hacking campaign was carried out by an alleged Chinese government-backed group nicknamed “Volt Typhoon.” Lumen researcher Ryan English said the ISPs were targeted so the attackers could surveil their customers, according to Reuters.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request seeking comment, although Beijing usually denies allegations of its involvement in cyberespionage. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency added the Versa vulnerability to its list of “known exploited vulnerabilities.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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