• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

 | 

SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

 | 

DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

 | 

Stealth backdoor found in WordPress mu-Plugins folder

 | 

U.S. CISA adds CrushFTP, Google Chromium, and SysAid flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

U.S. CISA urges FCEB agencies to fix two Microsoft SharePoint flaws immediately and added them to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Sophos fixed two critical Sophos Firewall vulnerabilities

 | 

French Authorities confirm XSS.is admin arrested in Ukraine

 | 

Microsoft linked attacks on SharePoint flaws to China-nexus actors

 | 

Cisco confirms active exploitation of ISE and ISE-PIC flaws

 | 

SharePoint under fire: new ToolShell attacks target enterprises

 | 

CrushFTP zero-day actively exploited at least since July 18

 | 

Hardcoded credentials found in HPE Aruba Instant On Wi-Fi devices

 | 

MuddyWater deploys new DCHSpy variants amid Iran-Israel conflict

 | 

U.S. CISA urges to immediately patch Microsoft SharePoint flaw adding it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Microsoft issues emergency patches for SharePoint zero-days exploited in "ToolShell" attacks

 | 

SharePoint zero-day CVE-2025-53770 actively exploited in the wild

 | 

Singapore warns China-linked group UNC3886 targets its critical infrastructure

 | 

U.S. CISA adds Fortinet FortiWeb flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 54

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Cyber Crime
  • Malware
  • Security
  • FBI deleted China-linked PlugX malware from over 4,200 US computers

FBI deleted China-linked PlugX malware from over 4,200 US computers

Pierluigi Paganini January 14, 2025

The FBI has removed Chinese PlugX malware from over 4,200 computers in networks across the United States, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

The Justice Department and FBI, along with international partners, announced they deleted PlugX malware from thousands of infected computers worldwide as part of a multi-month law enforcement operation. The malware was operated by a China-linked threat actor, known as Mustang Panda (aka Twill Typhoon, to steal sensitive information from victim computers.

According to court documents, the Chinese government paid Mustang Panda to develop PlugX malware, used since 2014 to target U.S., European, and Asian entities. A court operation recently removed PlugX infections from U.S. systems.

French law enforcement and cybersecurity firm Sekoia.io led the international operation against the malware. They discovered how to send commands to the infected hosts to wipe the PlugX version.

The FBI tested the commands and confirmed their effectiveness, the feds also determined that the commands have no impact on the normal functions of the infected computers.

“In August 2024, the Justice Department and FBI obtained the first of nine warrants in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania authorizing the deletion of PlugX from U.S.-based computers. The last of these warrants expired on Jan. 3, 2025, thereby concluding the U.S. portions of the operation.” reads the press release published by DoJ. “In total, this court-authorized operation deleted PlugX malware from approximately 4,258 U.S.-based computers and networks.”

The PlugX variant targeted by the international operation supports wormable capabilities that allowed the threat to spread through USB flash drives.

According to court documents, threat actors used the malware to target European shipping firms (2024), European governments (2021-2023), Chinese dissident groups, and Indo-Pacific governments, including Taiwan and Japan.

A French law enforcement agency has gained access to the C2 server (45.142.166.112) used to control the malware. Then law enforcement used the C2 server to send commands to computers infected with the variant of PlugX malware. This PlugX malware supports a “self-delete” command that instruct the malware to:

  • delete the files created by the PlugX malware on the victim computer
  • delete the PlugX registry keys used to automatically run the PlugX application when the victim computer is started,
  • create a temporary script file to delete the PlugX application after it is stopped,
  • stop the PlugX application,
  • run the temporary file to delete the PlugX application, delete the directory created on the victim computer by the PlugX malware to store the PlugX files, and delete the temporary file from the victim computer.

The FBI started notifying the owners of the computers in the US that were sanitized with the help of ISPs.

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, PlugX malware)


facebook linkedin twitter

APT Cybercrime Hacking hacking news information security news IT Information Security malware Mustang Panda Pierluigi Paganini PlugX malware Security News

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 24, 2025
Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 24, 2025
SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

    Malware / July 24, 2025

    SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

    Security / July 24, 2025

    DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

    Security / July 24, 2025

    Stealth backdoor found in WordPress mu-Plugins folder

    Malware / July 24, 2025

    U.S. CISA adds CrushFTP, Google Chromium, and SysAid flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

    Hacking / July 24, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT