Suspected Chinese Hackers Hit Taiwanese Research Center

A hacking group believed to be linked to the Chinese government stole passwords and documents from a Taiwanese government-affiliated research center that specializes in computing, cybersecurity researchers at Cisco Systems Inc. said Thursday.

The attackers used a kind of malicious software tool that’s almost entirely used by China-based groups, after they gained access to the unnamed research center as early as July 2023, Cisco’s Talos threat intelligence group said in a report shared exclusively with Bloomberg News. Based on that and other techniques, Cisco believes with “moderate confidence” that the hackers are part of a state-sponsored espionage group called APT41, which US officials have linked to China’s Ministry of State Security.