(MENAFN- The Arabian Post)

Cybersecurity officials have issued a coordinated alert on a malware strain known as BRICKSTORM after identifying a wave of intrusions targeting VMware ESXi hosts and Windows environments across several sectors. The advisory, released by national defence and cyber agencies in the United States and Canada, underscores mounting concern over activity linked to operators aligned with the People's Republic of China, whose campaigns have been tracked exploiting virtualisation infrastructures used widely in government and enterprise systems.

Authorities confirmed that BRICKSTORM was detected in environments where attackers had already established a foothold by exploiting edge devices and misconfigured remote-access solutions. The malware is crafted to maintain persistence, evade host-based monitoring, and operate with minimal forensic visibility, enabling prolonged access to high-value systems. Analysts said the toolset reflects a pattern of advanced techniques associated with long-running espionage campaigns focused on data collection rather than financial gain or destructive outcomes.

Officials stated that the malware's capability to burrow into hypervisors raised concerns about its potential to disrupt virtualised workloads if operators chose to move beyond covert intelligence-gathering. Investigators tracking the intrusions found that once deployed, BRICKSTORM allowed attackers to create hidden communication channels and transfer data through encrypted tunnels, reducing the likelihood of detection by traditional security tools. Forensics teams examining affected networks confirmed the presence of scripts and loader components designed to survive reboots and mimic legitimate system processes, complicating containment and remediation efforts.

Security researchers monitoring cross-border threat activity said the alert aligns with a broader acceleration of campaigns exploiting ESXi infrastructure, which has become a preferred target due to its central role in managing critical servers. They noted that virtualisation platforms increasingly serve as a gateway to entire organisational networks, making them attractive for operations seeking wide access with minimal noise. Alongside the ESXi compromises, analysts documented parallel attempts to deploy BRICKSTORM modules on Windows servers, especially those hosting directory services, file shares, and administrative tools, amplifying the risk of lateral movement.

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Specialists tracking the group's infrastructure said the operators appeared to rotate command-and-control servers frequently and route traffic through compromised systems worldwide, a hallmark of state-linked cyber units aiming to obscure attribution. The campaign's technical details show overlaps with earlier espionage toolsets attributed to PRC-aligned actors, including the use of bespoke backdoors adapted to specific network environments. Cyber defence teams participating in the investigation confirmed that indicators tied to those earlier intrusions resurfaced in systems infected with BRICKSTORM, though with updated encryption, modular components, and improved stealth features.

Agencies urged organisations running ESXi and Windows enterprise environments to audit access logs, strengthen authentication mechanisms, and apply hardening measures to management interfaces. Investigators highlighted that several breaches occurred due to exposed services, weak credentials, or unpatched vulnerabilities, providing attackers with the initial entry point required to install BRICKSTORM. Network administrators were advised to isolate compromised hosts immediately, as the malware's persistence mechanisms allow it to re-establish footholds even after partial clean-up attempts.

Industry experts said the warning reflects heightened scrutiny of cyber operations targeting strategic infrastructure, particularly those linked to long-term intelligence-gathering efforts. Analysts added that virtualised environments are increasingly central to high-performance computing clusters, government workloads, and cloud-hosted applications, making any compromise more consequential. They emphasised that the emergence of highly specialised malware such as BRICKSTORM signals an evolution in tradecraft designed to exploit the growing reliance on virtualisation technologies, with attackers adapting tools to blend into operational processes.

Investigators involved in the advisory process acknowledged that attributing the activity required extensive coordination across national cyber teams, as the malware's architecture showed evidence of careful engineering to avoid detection. Digital signatures uncovered across affected networks pointed to development patterns consistent with prior campaigns tied to state-directed cyber groups. Officials warned that the intent appeared to revolve around sustained access for intelligence purposes, though the capability to pivot to disruptive operations remained a concern given the strategic nature of the targeted systems.

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Cybersecurity consultancies reported that organisations across defence, telecom, managed service providers, and critical infrastructure had begun reassessing their exposure following the advisory. Several firms introduced immediate scanning protocols for configuration anomalies, hidden services, and unauthorised administrative accounts. Security teams highlighted that BRICKSTORM's ability to mask itself within routine management traffic made detection especially challenging without behaviour-based monitoring tools.

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