Reports indicate a significant rise in cyberattacks targeting both Taiwan and Central Asia. Taiwan is experiencing a surge in attacks amidst increasing tensions with China, while Central Asian diplomatic entities are being hit by a Russian malware campaign. This has highlighted an increase in the use of malicious software and other sophisticated methods by state aligned actors. The attacks on Taiwan are occurring simultaneously with rising political tensions, suggesting a link between geopolitical events and cyber activity.
Additionally, Russian state-aligned APT groups are increasingly deploying ransomware, a trend that is blurring the lines between cybercrime and state-sponsored attacks. A recent campaign linked to the Russia-aligned intrusion group UAC-0063 involved weaponized Microsoft Word documents delivering HatVibe and CherrySpy malware to collect intelligence. The malware was used on Kazakhstan diplomatic files and Kyrgyzstan defense files. These complex attacks are making security harder to manage for diplomatic organizations and critical infrastructure in the targeted regions which should increase their security and monitor their networks.