Chinese hacking group Evasive Panda spreading malware via Tencent legitimate app updates

ESET, the leading cybersecurity company, has recently reported a new threat from a Chinese hacking group known as Evasive Panda. The group is reportedly spreading malware via updates of legitimate apps, designed to target popular Chinese applications developed by Tencent, including Tencent QQ , QQBrowser, Foxmail , and WeChat .

According to ESET, the malware is being utilized for targeting in-country members of an international non-governmental organization. The malware can log keystrokes, steal files from hard disks, USB drives, and CDs, can steal clipboard content, capture audio, steal credentials from multiple applications, and steal browser cookies.

The malware is highly sophisticated and difficult to detect, making it a significant threat to Chinese users. ESET has advised users to update their apps only from official sources and be cautious about downloading software from third-party websites.

Our take: We suggest to look for alternative apps if possible, and try different, more private and less targeted software. For example QQ and WeChat have some popular opensource alternatives like Signal , Element and Tox ; also Thunderbird or Sylpheed could be a good replacement to Foxmail. You can find them here on AlternativeTo.