The cybersecurity world faces an ironic risk as two Chinese language hackers who as soon as excelled in Cisco’s coaching program at the moment are main refined assaults towards the corporate’s gadgets.
Yuyang and Qiu Daibing had been recognized as key operators behind the infamous Salt Hurricane marketing campaign.
Have leveraged their Cisco Community Academy schooling to orchestrate one of the vital expansive intelligence operations in latest historical past.
In 2012, each Yuyang and Qiu Daibing participated within the Cisco Community Academy Cup whereas learning at Southwest Petroleum College in China.
Regardless of attending a poorly regarded cybersecurity schooling establishment, they excelled within the competitors.
Qiu Daibing’s LinkedIn profile
With Qiu’s staff profitable third place nationally and Yu’s staff securing second place in Sichuan province.
Their schooling by Cisco’s program coated most of the merchandise they might later exploit, together with Cisco IOS and ASA Firewalls.
The Cisco Community Academy, which entered China in 1998, has educated over 200,000 college students within the nation.
Marketing campaign Compromises International Telecommunications
In 2024, Yuyang and Qiu Daibing emerged as co-owners of corporations named in a Joint Cybersecurity Advisory revealed by the USA and greater than 30 allied nations.
In response to SentinelOne Labs, its Salt Hurricane operation compromised greater than 80 telecommunications corporations worldwide.
Intercepting unencrypted calls and texts between US presidential candidates, key staffers, and China coverage specialists.
The hackers additionally breached CALEA programs, which telecommunications corporations use for lawful intercept of legal communications.
The marketing campaign, first reported in September 2024, represents one of the vital important intelligence assortment efforts of the final decade.
This case highlights a number of crucial safety considerations. First, it demonstrates that offensive capabilities towards international IT merchandise seemingly emerged when corporations started offering native coaching packages.
Second, it raises questions concerning the unintended penalties of company schooling initiatives in markets marked by geopolitical tensions.
China pursues its “Delete America” technique to take away Western know-how from its infrastructure. Safety specialists warn that such coaching packages could current extra threat than reward, doubtlessly creating tomorrow’s adversaries from immediately’s college students.
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