Summary
CISA, along with the National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and international partners, released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory on People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors targeting critical infrastructure across sectors and continents to maintain persistent, long-term access to networks. This advisory builds on previous reporting and is based on real-world investigations conducted across multiple countries through July 2025. While the activity observed overlaps with industry reporting on the group known as Salt Typhoon, OPERATOR PANDA, RedMike, UNC5807, and GhostEmperor, among others, the advisory refers to them generically as APT actors to focus on the behavior, not the alias. These APT actors are exploiting vulnerabilities in the large backbone routers of telecommunications providers—specifically provider edge and customer edge routers that often lack visibility and are difficult to monitor—to gain and maintain persistent access, particularly in telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and defense networks. They often modify router firmware and configurations to evade detection and establish long-term footholds. For more detailed information, review the full advisory and CISA’s People’s Republic of China Cyber Threat Overview and Advisories web page.