News

Symantec Discovers Highly Sophisticated Chinese Hacking Tool

In its research report, Symantec calls the tool Daxin and describes it as the most advanced piece of malware researchers have seen.

Published

3 years ago

March 7, 2022

David Morelo

symantec discovers highly sophisticated chinese cyber espionage tool

In August 2021, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) established the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC), a public-private cybersecurity information sharing partnership whose purpose is to unify defensive actions and drive down risk in advance of cyber incidents occurring. Now, one JCDC member, American cybersecurity software company Symantec, has discovered a never-before-seen hacking tool that has been successfully hiding for over a decade.

In its research report, Symantec calls the tool Daxin and describes it as the most advanced piece of malware Symantec researchers have seen.

Based on instances where components of the tool were combined with known Chinese hacking infrastructure, it’s almost certain that Daxin has originated from China. What’s more, the computers on which Daxin was discovered were also infected with other tools Chinese espionage actors are known to use.

symantec daxin methodology

“The malware appears to be used in a long-running espionage campaign against select governments and other critical infrastructure targets” explains Symantec’s Treat Hunter Team. “Most of the targets appear to be organizations and governments of strategic interest to China”.

Daxin allows attackers to perform various communications and data-gathering operations, and it appears to be optimized to perform especially well against hardened targets that can withstand less sophisticated attacks.

Also Read: How To Change Your Wi-Fi Password To Keep Intruders At Bay

“Daxin can be controlled from anywhere in the world once a computer is actually infected” said Vikram Thakur, a technical director with Symantec. “That’s what raises the bar from malware that we see coming out of groups operating from China”.

Since the initial discovery of Daxin, the U.S. government has shared the information with foreign partners to collectively stop the tool from spreading from country to country and from network to network.

So far, no organization in the United States has been infected by Daxin, but previous experience with malware like NotPetya, which was created by Russia to attack Ukrainian infrastructure, tells us that heightened caution is appropriate.

News

Cemplicity Is Bringing Real-Time Patient Insights To The UAE

The advanced healthcare platform offers tools for chronic disease management and improved patient experiences.

Published

7 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Nour Nasir

Cemplicity

Cemplicity — a leading health-tech company founded in 2013 — has launched its advanced platform in the UAE, aiming to revolutionize patient care and streamline healthcare operations to improve clinical outcomes.

Designed to analyze patient-reported data in real-time, the platform incorporates Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) to collect and analyze patient feedback. By transforming the data into actionable insights, healthcare providers will be better equipped to improve quality of care and increase efficiency.

Cemplicity’s technology can even tackle chronic conditions like diabetes, which affects 12.3% of the UAE population. By enabling regular symptom tracking and side-effect monitoring (even when patients are at home) the platform ensures proactive care management, and can also optimize early detection and screening of cancers.

Blaik Wilson, Cemplicity’s CEO, shared: “We are excited to bring Cemplicity to the UAE, a nation committed to healthcare excellence. With the private healthcare sector evolving at an impressive pace, partnering with such forward-thinking providers enables us to transform patient feedback into meaningful insights that enhance patient experiences and improve outcomes”.

Wilson added: “Globally, healthcare produces 30% of the world’s data volume. Aggregating and anonymizing patient-reported data not only uncovers trends and evaluates treatment outcomes but also advances the UAE’s broader ambition to lead in medical research and innovation”.

Also Read: Malak Trabelsi Loeb On Leadership And QIS 2025

With a presence in nine countries and partnerships with major healthcare providers like the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), Cemplicity has already redefined how hospitals and clinics leverage patient feedback. Its tools, known for achieving high survey response rates, help link patient experiences to organizational KPIs and Net Promoter Scores (NPS), enabling measurable improvements in operations, and clinical outcomes, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

For the UAE market, the platform has been specially adapted to local needs, offering multilingual support (including Arabic) and seamless integration with tools such as WhatsApp and various hospital management systems.