jian

Jian, a cyber espionage tool used by the China-linked APT31 group (also known as Zirconium, Judgment Panda, and Red Keres), has been implicated in multiple cyber espionage operations. The tool was first brought to public attention in 2022 when it was discovered by the Check Point Research team. Notably, Jian is a clone of the NSA Equation Group's "EpMe" hacking tool and was utilized years before its online leak by the Shadow Brokers hackers. In a recent development, 42-year-old Jian Wen, holding both United Kingdom and Chinese citizenship, was sentenced by the Southwark Crown Court in London to six years and eight months in prison. She was found guilty of laundering $10.4 million worth of cryptocurrency linked to a billion-dollar investment fraud, as reported by Bloomberg. This case marks a significant instance of legal action taken against individuals associated with cybercrime. The use of Jian and related cyber espionage activities have sparked international controversy. Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, rejected UK accusations regarding these activities as "false information," challenging the UK government to provide "objective evidence." Meanwhile, various cybersecurity experts, including Dr Chia-Mu Yu of the National Institute of Cybersecurity and Mr Jian-Lung Lin, Director of High-Tech Crime Center of the Taiwan Ministry of Interior Affairs, have spoken on the need for effective mitigation measures and safeguarding critical information infrastructure.