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[TECHNOLOGY] · China, Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea · 4 sources

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Part of situation: Global cyber espionage and AI integration (2 clusters)

ESET report shows rise in global cyber espionage and AI use

cyber espionage APT groups ESET artificial intelligence malware

A new APT Activity Report from ESET, covering the period from April to September 2026, reveals an increase in global cyber espionage activities. Nation-aligned groups from China, Russia, Belarus, Iran, and North Korea have expanded their operations, frequently targeting government institutions, defense sectors, and military organizations.

China-aligned groups focused on intelligence collection, specifically targeting Taiwan’s semiconductor industry to acquire procurement records and design documentation. Russian-aligned activities continue to support military objectives in Europe, with a significant increase in targets within Ukraine. Belarus-aligned groups are increasingly aligning their operations with Russian war priorities, while North Korean-linked actors have expanded their focus to include both South Korea and Ukraine.

Threat actors are increasingly utilizing artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) to accelerate labor-intensive tasks such as malware development and the creation of phishing websites. In one notable instance, the Russian-aligned group UAC-0099 embedded a deceptive prompt regarding nuclear weapon instructions within a script comment, likely an attempt to manipulate LLM-based security analysis tools.

Entities

ESET · Jean-Ian Boutin · Taiwan · UAC-0099 · Ukraine

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

Siber casuslukta küresel hareketlilik artıyor - Donanım Haber [www.donanimhaber.net.tr]
Siber casuslukta küresel hareketlilik artıyor [www.trakyaolay.com]
Report APT: rivelati i trend del momento [www.bitmat.it]
RaillyNews - Global Mobility Surges in Siberian Espionage [raillynews.com]