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Chinese-speaking hackers exploited ESXi zero

Securityaffairs.Co •Pierluigi Paganini • January 9, 2026

Chinese-speaking attackers used a hacked SonicWall VPN to deploy ESXi zero-days that were likely exploited over a year before public disclosure. Chinese-speaking attackers were seen abusing a hacked SonicWall VPN to deliver a toolkit targeting VMware ESXi. The exploit chain included a sophisticated VM escape and appears to have been developed more than a year […]

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Chinese Hackers Exploit ESXi Zero-Days via Hacked SonicWall VPN Chinese-speaking hackers exploited vulnerabilities in VMware ESXi by using a compromised SonicWall VPN. The attackers deployed a sophisticated toolkit that included a VM escape exploit, which appears to have been developed over a year before its public disclosure. This incident highlights the ongoing threat posed by advanced persistent threats targeting virtualization technologies. 1 sources 19

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Chinese-speaking hackers exploited ESXi zero

The full story

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