Bleepingcomputer China-Aligned Hackers Exploit Tencent's Sogou Flaw for Backdoor Deployment
Article Content
- •CVE-2026-51990 exploited by UNC3569 to deploy GrayRabbit backdoor.
- •Vulnerability allows one-click remote code execution via crafted links.
- •Tencent issued a patch in April 2026, but underlying security issues remain.
A critical vulnerability (CVE-2026-51990) in Tencent's Sogou Input Method for Windows has been exploited by the China-linked UNC3569 threat group to deploy the GrayRabbit backdoor. The flaw allows for one-click remote code execution via crafted links, affecting hundreds of millions of users. The attack exploits three weaknesses: unvalidated command-line argument injection, unrestricted URLs, and an outdated, unsandboxed Chromium browser engine. Gen Digital reported that the vulnerability has been actively exploited in the wild, with the backdoor enabling attackers to execute commands, upload files, and collect system information. Tencent issued a patch in April 2026, but the underlying browser remains outdated and insecure. The Dutch NCSC has warned of imminent exploitation of this vulnerability, emphasizing the urgency for organizations to monitor for indicators of compromise. The attack primarily targets government and defense sectors.
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