China’s Ministry of State Security announced on September 12 that foreign anti-China hostile forces recently conducted a sophisticated cyber attack targeting government agency email systems, using compromised accounts as launching points for broader infiltration operations.
According to the ministry’s investigation, the attackers initially gained access to email accounts at local government agencies through technical attacks or phishing emails. Once inside, they secretly activated automatic reply functions on the compromised accounts and embedded malicious software in these automated responses. This created a self-propagating attack mechanism where any email sent to the infected accounts would receive an automatic reply containing viruses, effectively turning recipients into new attack sources.
Beyond the technical infiltration, the foreign forces embedded malicious disinformation within the virus-laden emails, attempting to manipulate public opinion and create broader social impact and security risks.
The targeted government agency oversees a critical industry sector that foreign intelligence agencies and anti-China forces closely monitor as a priority target for espionage and infiltration. The ministry warned that theft of sensitive materials from this sector could severely damage China’s national security and interests.
The investigation revealed that some organizations within this sector had inadequate network security management, creating vulnerabilities that attackers exploited.
The Ministry of State Security emphasized that cyber attacks represent a primary tool for foreign intelligence agencies and hostile forces to conduct infiltration and espionage activities. Given the current high-frequency environment of network penetration and data theft attempts, the ministry called for comprehensive, multi-pronged efforts to strengthen cybersecurity defenses across all sectors.
This incident highlights the evolving sophistication of state-sponsored cyber operations targeting Chinese government infrastructure and sensitive industrial sectors.
Source: Sputnik News, September 12, 2025
https://sputniknews.cn/20250912/1067429129.html