• Latest
  • All
  • How To
Chinese spies Sogu malware in Africa

Chinese Spies Target Kenya and Others with USB Malware

September 23, 2023
Windows

Microsoft’s Windows Usage Slumps as Macs, Linux, and Mobile Take Over

July 4, 2025
Microsoft

Microsoft Slashes 9,100 Jobs in Biggest Layoffs Since 2023

July 4, 2025
NASA

NASA Brings Space Missions to Netflix at No Extra Cost

July 3, 2025
ios 26-facetime

iOS 26 May Pause Video if You Start Undressing on FaceTime

July 3, 2025
DHgate Tablet Cases deals
apple iphone foldable

Apple Begins Testing Its First Foldable iPhone

July 3, 2025
Mobile Data

Kenya Draws More Tourists as Mobile Data Roaming Soars

July 3, 2025
Axian Telecom Considers Full Acquisition of Jumia

Axian Telecom Is Plotting a Full Buyout of Jumia

July 3, 2025
Cable TV

Kenya’s Cable TV Market Rebounds with 31.5% Growth

July 3, 2025
Premier League and Microsoft Announce Strategic AI Partnership for Enhanced Fan Engagement

Football Meets AI as Microsoft Joins Forces with the EPL

July 3, 2025
SMS

Kenyans Ditch SMS in Favor of WhatsApp and Chat Apps

July 1, 2025
DeepSeek_vs_ChatGPT

Hackers Build Malware That Tries to Reprogram AI Security Tools

July 1, 2025
Satellite Internet

Satellite Internet in Kenya Records 9.9% Decline in Users

July 1, 2025
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
No Result
View All Result

Chinese Spies Target Kenya and Others with USB Malware

Sakwa Kombo by Sakwa Kombo
September 23, 2023
in News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
265
0
Chinese spies Sogu malware in Africa

Chinese spies have been running an espionage campaign that relies on passing malware from one device to another via a USB drive. The spies named UNC53, are allegedly backed by the Chinese government. UNC53 have managed to infiltrate at least 29 organizations in the world since the start of the year.  

This information was revealed by cyber security research firm Mandiant. The 29 organizations are mostly multinationals spread across the world. However, the majority of infections to organization systems appear to originate from Africa.

The malware called Sogu, was traced in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Madagascar Egypt, and other countries. The Chinese spies appear to have figured out that global organizations with staff in developing countries still rely on USB drives to share data. It is because of this fact that they revived a hacking method that may appear old-fashioned in the cybersecurity world.

“USB infections are back,” says Mandiant researcher Brendan McKeague. “In today’s globally distributed economy, an organization may be headquartered in Europe, but they have remote workers in regions of the world like Africa. In multiple instances, places like Ghana or Zimbabwe were the infection point for these USB-based intrusions.”

Chinese Spies Hack Government Agencies

Mandiant observation of the USB-hacking campaign has seen it detect new victims as recently as this month. The hackers targeted different industries from consulting, marketing, engineering, construction, mining, education, banking, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, and more concerning the campaign targeted government agencies.

This is another case emphasizing the danger of using your USB Drive on public computers and accessing public Wi-Fi. According to Mandiant, the bulk number of infections had been picked up from a shared computer at an internet café or print shop.

Additionally, it was found that the malware spread even more on publicly accessible internet-access terminals. A common trend was via public internet at African airports.

What USB Malware Sogu Does

Once it infects an internet-connected computer, Sogu begins accepting commands to search the host machine and transfer data to a remote server. Further, it duplicates itself to any other USB drive inserted into the PC to continue its machine-to-machine spread.

In the event Sogu finds itself on an offline computer, it first attempts to turn on the victim’s Wi-Fi adapter. Once the WiFi is on it connects to local networks. However, this may fail hence, the Chinese malware puts stolen data in a folder on the infected USB drive itself. The data is stored there until it’s plugged into an internet-connected machine.

Thereafter, the illegally accessed data is transferred to the command-and-control server managed by the Chinese spies.

Tags: ChinaCybersecurity
SendShare147Tweet92
Sakwa Kombo

Sakwa Kombo

My Bio is in my written articles.

Related Posts

DeepSeek_vs_ChatGPT

Hackers Build Malware That Tries to Reprogram AI Security Tools

July 1, 2025
tackling Bank Fraud, Sextortion, and Ransomware in Kenya

Kenya Facing Rise in Cyberthreats from Bank Fraud, Sextortion, and Ransomware

July 1, 2025
Kenya cyber threats 2025

Kenya Detects Over 2.5 Billion Cyber Threats in Three Months

June 30, 2025
Iran cyberattacks

Cyber Attacks Soar After US Airstrikes on Iran Sites

June 27, 2025
How to Secure Your Phone and Yourself During Protests

How to Secure Your Phone (and Yourself) During Protests

June 25, 2025
google-chrome

Three Billion Chrome Browser Users at Risk from Zero Day Hack

June 3, 2025

Latest

Windows

Microsoft’s Windows Usage Slumps as Macs, Linux, and Mobile Take Over

July 4, 2025
Microsoft

Microsoft Slashes 9,100 Jobs in Biggest Layoffs Since 2023

July 4, 2025
NASA

NASA Brings Space Missions to Netflix at No Extra Cost

July 3, 2025
ios 26-facetime

iOS 26 May Pause Video if You Start Undressing on FaceTime

July 3, 2025
apple iphone foldable

Apple Begins Testing Its First Foldable iPhone

July 3, 2025
Mobile Data

Kenya Draws More Tourists as Mobile Data Roaming Soars

July 3, 2025

Best devices

budget smartwatches 2025

Best Budget Smartwatches To Buy in Kenya 2025

February 13, 2025

Best Infinix Smartphones To Buy in Kenya 2024

February 13, 2025

Best Laptops for Battery Life in 2024

August 21, 2024

Best “Battery Warrior” Smartphones To Buy in 2024

August 22, 2024

Microsoft’s Windows Usage Slumps as Macs, Linux, and Mobile Take Over

July 4, 2025

Microsoft Slashes 9,100 Jobs in Biggest Layoffs Since 2023

July 4, 2025

Techweez is a fast growing influential source of technology news, reviews and analysis by leading tech geeks in the industry.

Follow Us

Editorials

Abductions and Arrests! Kenyan Government’s Fear and Hate of X Users Makes No Sense

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

Samsung QLED TVs Now Officially Certified for Real Quantum Dot Technology

Trump’s Tariffs Will Be the End of Affordable Tech

5 Ways to Prep Your Tech for Resale

The Weaponization of PDFs: How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting a Trusted Format

More News

Axian Telecom Is Plotting a Full Buyout of Jumia

Kenya’s Cable TV Market Rebounds with 31.5% Growth

Football Meets AI as Microsoft Joins Forces with the EPL

Kenyans Ditch SMS in Favor of WhatsApp and Chat Apps

Hackers Build Malware That Tries to Reprogram AI Security Tools

Satellite Internet in Kenya Records 9.9% Decline in Users

  • Terms Of Use
  • Techweez Brand
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!

Hey there! Just a heads-up: we're big fans of cookies - both the digital and edible kind! 🍪 We use our cookies and some from third parties to ensure your browsing experience on our site is smooth sailing and secure.

 

But wait, there's more! We also use cookies to gather stats and insights on how you navigate our site. It's like getting a behind-the-scenes peek at your digital adventures!

 

Don't worry, you're in control. You can adjust your cookie settings anytime to suit your preferences. Feeling curious? Dive into our Privacy Policy for all the juicy details. Happy browsing! 🚀

Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
  • Automotive
  • Entertainment

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.