Google announced on Wednesday, October 25, that it has dismantled a digital espionage campaign initiated in 2018 by a Chinese-based group of cybercriminals which targeted companies in Brazil. The hackers accessed the systems of major telecommunications firms by exploiting a feature of Google Sheets. Google stated that the intrusion did not result from a flaw in its technology; instead, the criminals abused a legitimate integration to deceive their victims.

Through its investigations, Google identified 53 victims across 42 countries, noting that several Brazilian firms were affected. Anonymously, Google employees reported that after discovering the ongoing cyberattacks, the company terminated all projects and accounts controlled by the intruders and took down servers linked to the operation. This proactive response underscores the significant threat posed by such attacks, particularly from actors operating on a global scale.

The scale of this campaign emphasizes the need for global organizations to pay special attention and scrutinize whether they have been or may be affected by this specific threat actor, especially in Brazil, where cyber vulnerabilities continue to be a pressing concern for businesses. Such incidents highlight the ongoing challenges firms face in cybersecurity, necessitating enhanced protective measures as cyber threats evolve.