marry 15.01.2025, 10:00 AM
The PlugX malware has been successfully wiped from more than four thousand infected computers, the US Department of Justice and the FBI announced.
This invisible malware, which infects Windows computers, is linked to the China-funded hacking groups Mustang Panda and Twill Typhoon.
According to court documents, hackers used PlugX to control and steal information from victims’ computers. What makes PlugX so dangerous is that the malware is undetectable, which is why most victims don’t even know their systems have been compromised.
The documents state that the Mustang Panda group developed the malware at the request of the People’s Republic of China.
Since 2014, PlugX has been used to infiltrate systems, steal sensitive information across the US, Europe and Asia, against governments, businesses and even Chinese dissident groups.
The malware has now been removed from a total of 4,258 computers and networks in the US alone, as part of international operations run by French law enforcement agency and cyber security firm Sekoia.iothe FBI said.
The French firm managed to find a way to send commands to infected computers that delete PlugX from the device without affecting their operation, and without collecting data.
The FBI obtained a court order last August that allowed PlugX to be wiped from US systems, and the order expired on January 3, 2025, ending the US portion of the operation.
Affected computer owners are being notified about the removal of the malware.
Photo: Michael Geiger | Pixabay
Source: www.informacija.rs
