2 Men Linked to China's Salt Typhoon Hacker Group Likely Trained in a Cisco 'Academy'

"To try to determine the probability of those name repetitions being a coincidence, Cary checked two databases of Chinese names and consulted with Yi Fuxian, a professor of Chinese demography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The name Qiu Daibing-or 邱代兵 in Chinese characters-turned out to be a relatively unlikely name to show up twice just by chance, he says. The surname 邱 alone, Yi confirmed to WIRED, represents just 0.27 percent of Chinese names, and in combination with the specific 代兵 given name would represent a far smaller percentage."

"The name Yu Yang (余洋 in Chinese characters) is more common. But the two names appearing in association seems less likely to be a coincidence, Cary theorizes. "The sheer improbability of somebody having this name also being paired with a Yu Yang, having this skill set and going to the same university in the same location where these companies are registered, it's just an incredibly small chance that these are not the right people," Cary argues."

"If Cary's theory that two men linked to Salt Typhoon were in fact trained in Cisco's Networking Academy is correct, it doesn't represent a flaw or security oversight in Cisco's program, he says. Instead, it points to a tough-to-avoid issue in a globalized market where technology products-and even training in the technical details of those products-are widely available, including to potential hacking adversaries."

Cary analyzed Chinese name databases and consulted Yi Fuxian to assess the odds of repeated names being coincidental. The surname 邱 comprises only 0.27 percent of Chinese names, making Qiu Daibing a relatively rare full name. Yu Yang (余洋) is more common, but the pairing of both names with matching skill sets, the same university, and company registration locations reduces the likelihood of coincidence. WIRED's contact attempts received no response. If the men linked to Salt Typhoon were trained in Cisco's Networking Academy, the situation reflects broad global access to technical products and training rather than a Cisco program flaw, highlighting challenges in a globalized market and China's equipment-replacement efforts.

Read at WIRED