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A Chinese group "cloned" code stolen from the National Security Agency years before a security flaw was fixed, researchers said this week. The Chinese group, identified as APT31, used the so-called exploit, along with other hacking tools to stage attacks, Check Point, an IT security firm, said in a research note. Generally an APT, or Advanced Persistent Threat, is associated with nation-state cyber activity. "Check Point Research has determined that Chinese hackers cloned and actively used the cyber offensive tool of a US-based hacking group [that] is believed to be tied to the NSA," a Check Point spokesperson said to...

Sean Brian Townsend is an independent researcher in the field of information and computer security, a member and the spokesman of the Ukrainian Cyber Alliance. He explains how Kaspersky Lab and the FSB hacked and leaked the secret NSA tools under the guise of The Shadow Brokers hacker group. These leaks became the origin of WannaCry, NotPetya, and BadRabbit ransomware attacks. The editors of InformNapalm may not share the opinions of the authors in the [opinion] section, and does not alter the original style of the articles. Antivirus software – myths and reality The activities of antivirus (AV) companies are...

Has the NSA just been hacked? Security experts speaking with FORBES think it’s possible, after a group published malware and attack code allegedly belonging to the Equation Group, a crew linked to the US intelligence agency. But while many believe the leak looks legitimate, the hackers could have pulled off a very clever ruse. --- Two days ago, on August 13, a group calling themselves The Shadow Brokers released files on Github, claiming they came from the Equation Group. The files included code allegedly designed to exploit firewalls from American manufacturers Cisco, Juniper and Fortinet . One Chinese company, Topsec,...