Joint Advisory Issued on Chinese Hacker Group Salt Typhoon by Japanese Authorities

On Wednesday, Japanese officials issued a significant advisory concerning the hacker group known as Salt Typhoon, which is reportedly supported by the Chinese government. This document was developed collaboratively with the United States and has been endorsed by a coalition of 13 countries, including the U.K. and Canada. It reveals connections between Salt Typhoon and several Chinese telecommunications companies that provide support to both the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the Ministry of State Security.

The advisory highlights the troubling trend of this hacker group, which has been actively targeting various government agencies and essential infrastructure entities across multiple nations since 2021. They have successfully infiltrated systems, gathering sensitive information over prolonged periods. Notably, incidents of damage have been recorded, particularly involving a major telecommunications firm in the U.S. and instances of eavesdropping on private government communications. In Japan, there have been confirmed cases of harm inflicted on critical infrastructure providers.

Additionally, this document offers insights into the hacking methods employed by Salt Typhoon, procedures for assessing damage, and recommendations for mitigating the impacts of such cyberattacks. The initiative falls under a framework known as "public attribution," which aims to discourage future cyber intrusions by openly naming the nation’s behind these activities.