Cisco and Citrix both told Reuters that they have patched the vulnerabilities that were being exploited by APT41. Citrix is also coordinating with FireEye to find “potential compromises.” Reuters reached out to Dell Technologies’ cybersecurity arm, Secureworks, which stated that the company has also seen increased activity from Chinese hackers “over the last few weeks.”

Chinese government contractors carrying out cyber attacks is nothing new, but the scope of these current initiatives is concerning. Companies in about 20 countries are being targeted, and APT41 is carrying out subsequent attacks frequently: “This activity is one of the most widespread campaigns we have seen from China-nexus espionage actors in recent years,” says FireEye. “This new activity from this group shows how resourceful and how quickly they can leverage newly disclosed vulnerabilities to their advantage.” Whether the attackers are purposely taking advantage of a reduced cybersecurity workforce during the coronavirus pandemic or the timing is just a coincidence remains to be determined.

More importantly, it’s an opportunity to see how 5G might transmit data between sensors faster than a rural broadband connection. It sounds fairly straightforward: when a cow enters a milking station, its collar alerts the machine to begin pumping. Of course, tracking animals with connected devices is nothing new, and we’ve seen plenty of advanced technology make its way into the agriculture industry. As it does elsewhere, 5G simply promises to make these applications faster and easier.

The groups are pretty easy to find on the social network. Searching for terms like “spam,” “carding” or “CVV” will typically yield a handful of them. Once a user joins one of the groups, Facebook’s algorithm will recommend similar ones to join, making it easy to network with likeminded hackers and criminals. According to Talos, Facebook relies on user reports for any illegal or illicit activity taking place in the groups, so much of the trading of personal information goes on without enforcement. When Talos did report the groups, some were removed while some only had individual posts taken down. Engadget reached out to Facebook for comment on Talos’ findings and will update this story if we hear back.

Talos’ report highlights the ongoing presence of sketchy and illegal marketplaces that persist on Facebook, but the issue has been known for some time. A report from last year found credit cards and social security numbers being traded on Facebook. Even the social network’s own Marketplace isn’t free of issues with illegal goods. The service has been used to sell drugs and firearms.