Cyber security agencies call out PRC-linked ‘botnet’ and provide mitigation advice
Published Sources: NCSC NZ
What is affected, what to do
Cyber security agencies call out PRC-linked ‘botnet’ and provide mitigation advice The GCSB’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has joined international partners to highlight and help mitigate the threat posed by a network of compromised nodes (a 'botnet') created by People’s Republic of China (PRC)-linked cyber actors to enable malicious cyber activity. Acting Deputy Director-General Cyber Security, Michael Jagusch, said the NCSC and partners have published a joint cyber security advisory to call out this activity and provide advice that will help cyber defenders identify and mitigate the risks associated with the botnet’s operation.
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CVSS v3
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Priority (0–325)
The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?
Read in glossary- 6.18 Methodology
Exploit maturity
An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.
Read in glossary- no public PoC known
KEV status
The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.
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Classification under NIS2 and CRA
Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.
NIS2
NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.
Read in glossary- Handle the vulnerability in regular vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2.
CRA
The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.
Read in glossary- From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.
Read in glossary- Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.
Description
Cyber security agencies call out PRC-linked ‘botnet’ and provide mitigation advice The GCSB’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has joined international partners to highlight and help mitigate the threat posed by a network of compromised nodes (a 'botnet') created by People’s Republic of China (PRC)-linked cyber actors to enable malicious cyber activity. Acting Deputy Director-General Cyber Security, Michael Jagusch, said the NCSC and partners have published a joint cyber security advisory to call out this activity and provide advice that will help cyber defenders identify and mitigate the risks associated with the botnet’s operation. Joint cyber security advisory: People’s Republic of China-linked actors compromise routers and IoT devices for botnet operations | U.S. Department of Defense International partners include The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF), the National Security Agency (NSA), the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), and the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-UK). What's happening Systems affected Mr Jagusch said the joint cyber security advisory outlines how PRC-linked cyber actors have compromised internet-connected devices — including small office/home office (SOHO) routers, firewalls, network-attached storage (NAS), and internet of things (IoT) devices — to create a network of compromised nodes (a ‘botnet’) positioned for malicious activity. The advisory identifies Integrity Technology Group, a PRC-based company, as the organisation controlling and managing the botnet, which has been active since mid-2021. What this means “The botnet has regularly maintained between tens to hundreds of thousands of compromised devices. As of June 2024, the botnet consisted of over 260,000 devices. “Compromised devices that were part of the botnet have been observed in North America, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, including New Zealand.” What to look for How to tell if you're at risk “The NCSC and partners are releasing this advisory to highlight the threat posed by these actors and their botnet activity and to encourage exposed device vendors, owners, and operators to update and secure their devices from being compromised and joining the botnet. ” What to do Prevention “Cybersecurity companies can also leverage the information in this advisory to assist with identifying malicious activity and to reduce the number of devices present in botnets worldwide,” Mr Jagusch said. “Our NCSC works extensively with New Zealand organisations, the cyber security industry and international partners to identify and mitigate cyber threats facing New Zealand organisations and individuals. “It deploys a range of cyber security capabilities including Malware Free Networks and the Phishing Disruption Service to share cyber threat intelligence to help protect New Zealanders from a range of threats,” he said. More information Media contact: media@ncsc.govt.nz