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 1. Computing


CHINESE HACKERS USE VLC MEDIA PLAYER TO LAUNCH CYBERATTACKS

By Monica J. White April 6, 2022
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Researchers discovered that Chinese hackers have been using VLC Media Player to
launch cybersecurity attacks.

The hacker group, allegedly affiliated with the Chinese government, uses the
popular video player to deploy malware on the targeted computer.

Stock Depot/Getty Images

These activities have been traced down to a hacker group called Cicada, which is
also known by a long list of other names, such as menuPass, Stone Panda, APT10,
Potassium, and Red Apollo. Cicada has been around for a long time — at least
since 2006.



The malware deployed to the victims of the attack opens the door for hackers to
obtain all kinds of information. It can grant knowledge on everything about the
system, scour through running processes, and download files on command, only
broadening the potential for misuse. Such stealth attacks are not uncommon, but
this one seems to have taken place on a large scale.

This campaign, involving the popular VLC Media Player, appears to have been
started for espionage purposes. According to a report by Bleeping Computer, the
targets involve a wide range of entities involved in legal, governmental, or
religious activities. Non-governmental organizations have also been targeted.
What’s perhaps more staggering is that this activity has spread to entities
across at least three continents.

Some of the targeted countries include the U.S., Hong Kong, India, Italy, and
Canada. Surprisingly, only one of the victims was from Japan. Cicada group has
previously targeted Japan for its cyberattacks many times in the past. Once the
attackers gained access to the victim’s machine, they were able to maintain it
for up to nine months.

Although VLC was exploited to deploy malware, Bleeping Computer says that the
file itself was clean. It appears that a safe version of VLC was combined with a
malicious DLL file located in the place as the export functions of the media
player. This is referred to as DLL side-loading, and Cicada is not alone in
using this technique to upload malware into programs that are otherwise secure.

The custom loader used by Cicada has apparently been seen in previous attacks
that were also connected to the hacker team. In order to first gain access to
the networks that were breached, a Microsoft Exchange server was exploited.
Additionally, a WinVNC server was deployed as a means of establishing remote
control over the systems affected by the hidden malware.

There’s more to the VLC exploit than first meets the eye. On top of that, an
exploit called Sodamaster was used, which runs stealthily in the system memory
without requiring any files. It’s capable of avoiding detection and can delay
execution at startup.

The information comes from Symantec and was reported by Bleeping Computer.
Symantec’s researchers discovered that these cybersecurity attacks may have
started in mid-2021 and continued taking place in February 2022. However, it’s
entirely possible that this threat continues to this day.

Although these attacks are certainly dangerous, it’s probable that not every
user of VLC needs to worry. Bleeping Computer has stated that the VLC file in
question was clean and the hackers seem to have a very targeted approach,
centered on certain entities. However, it’s always important to stay on top of
security where PCs are concerned.

VLC itself is yet to officially acknowledge the situation. We have reached out
with a request for comment and will update if we hear back.

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