FoxAcid’s Malware Storms Russia and China!

According to the latest revelations from Chinese internet security company Qihoo 360 and China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, recently one of the U.S. National Security Agency’s cyberweapons — the FoxAcid Server, an “exploit orchestrator” hacking platform — has had a major uptick in activity. It has been reported that FoxAcid has become the main form of intrusion software in carrying out cyberespionage operations against other countries for NSA's Office of Tailored Access Operations. While FoxAcid’s cyberattacks strike worldwide, the main targets are Russia and China. At present, traces of U.S. Trojan horses have been found on hundreds of important information systems in China.

The U.S. has long been the world-recognized master thief of secrets. Pressing home its technological advantages in the field of network security, it conducts unhindered large-scale, organized and unscrupulous network theft, surveillance and attacks. Targets include foreign individuals, enterprises and governments. From WikiLeaks to the Snowden leaks, from the threat actor Equation Group to the ECHELON surveillance system, this series of transnational cybersecurity incidents directly imperils the public security of every country. Even allies cannot escape the black hand of the U.S. Amusingly, while the U.S. has a long history of launching cyberattacks against foreign countries, it boasts of being the guardian of cybersecurity. The U.S. wishes to dominate the international cybersecurity agenda, and it readily labels other countries as network security threats. It’s stomach-twisting: this unembarrassed turning of morality on its head, this brazenness, this thief bearing false witness against the innocent.

Lying at the heart of the U.S.’s deep commitment to conducting cyberattacks are aims of world domination. On security issues, the U.S. has always adhered to a protocol of pursuing absolute security while constantly undermining the security of other countries. This extends to the realm of cyberspace. The U.S. wishes to exploit its technological advantages in information science to monitor the world from behind a one-way mirror and, when needed, to step in to stop or contain adversaries. To the mind of a hegemonic thinker, a rising China is naturally at the epicenter of concern. Data show that in 2020, Chinese agencies captured more than 42 million malware samples. Of the malware samples collected from overseas sources, 53% came from the U.S. According to reports from Chinese cybersecurity companies, U.S. cyberattacks target key fields, such as Chinese aerospace, scientific research institutions and large networking companies, as well as office documents, private documents and social software used by Chinese citizens. This borderless specter of hacking sends chills down people’s spines.

What further commands us to vigilance is the increasingly distinct militarized character of U.S. cyberattacks. As early as 10 years ago, the U.S. Department of Defense established the U.S. Cyber Command. At present, the U.S.’s more than 100 Cyber Mission Force teams comprise more than 6,000 military and civilian personnel. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the cyber black hand of the U.S. was up to its old tricks. Paul Nakasone, commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and director of the NSA, publicly acknowledged conducting “hunt forward operations” that "have bolstered the resilience of Ukraine.” Treating cyberspace as the new battleground, continuous deployment of the U.S. cyber force and the American cyber “virus” not only infringes on global cybersecurity, but also seriously threatens world peace and stability.

Cyberspace belongs to the world as a public space, not as a U.S. colony. Cybersecurity risks are global. No country can afford to imagine itself inviolable and turn a blind eye to it. China has always advocated that all countries should increase communication and work together on the basis of mutual respect. We can maintain cybersecurity through dialogue and collaboration. Chairman Xi Jinping unveiled the vision of jointly building a global community with a shared future in cyberspace, which received positive feedback from many countries. Also popular was the Global Initiative on Data Security, where China promoted the establishment of peaceful, secure, open, cooperative and orderly cyberspace governance.

"I can’t in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world." That was the explanation Edward Snowden gave when he disclosed the Prism scandal. Looking back at it now, the U.S. hacking empire has not changed its ways, but has instead become the menacing fountainhead of global calamity.