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Bitdefender Labs warns of an active cyber-espionage campaign targeting organizations in Central Asia and European countries. The group, tracked as UAC-0063, employs sophisticated tactics to infiltrate high-value targets, including government entities and diplomatic missions, expanding their operations into Europe.

Since the start of the Ukraine war , the geopolitical landscape of Central Asia has undergone significant shifts, impacting the region’s relationships with both Russia and China. Russia’s influence, once dominant, has noticeably declined due to its actions in Ukraine, which have damaged its reputation as a regional security guarantor, with some Central Asian countries feeling that Russia doesn’t respect their sovereignty.

In contrast, China’s influence in Central Asia is growing, particularly in the economic sphere, as it seeks access to raw materials and prioritizes economic development as a path to stability. China’s approach differs from Russia’s; Beijing focuses on economic instruments such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to build infrastructure and trade links, while Moscow historically relied on military presence and formal alliances.

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Based on the analyzed data, the UAC-0063 attacks likely targeted embassies in Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan. In some cases, there were attempts to reinfect previously compromised targets using the same known infection vector involving weaponized documents.