WASHINGTON — A Chinese hacking group exploited a software bug to compromise several internet companies in the US and abroad, a cybersecurity firm said on Tuesday.

Researchers at the firm, Lumen Technologies, said in a blog post that the hackers took advantage of a previously unknown vulnerability in Versa Director — a software platform used to manage services for customers of Santa Clara, California-based Versa Networks. It said four US victims and one Indian victim had been identified, although it declined to identify them.

Versa Networks issued an advisory on Monday acknowledging that the vulnerability had been exploited “in at least one known instance” by an advanced group of hackers, and urged customers to update their software to fix the bug.

Lumen’s blog post said that its researchers assessed with “moderate confidence” that the hacking campaign, which kicked off as early as June 12, was carried out by an alleged Chinese government-backed group nicknamed “Volt Typhoon.” Lumen researcher Ryan English said that the internet companies were targeted for the attackers to surveil their customers.

“They very rarely go in through the front door,” he said.

Doug Britton, an executive with Virginia-based RunSafe Security, said the research appeared sound and that the access described by Lumen would allow a group like Volt Typhoon “the ability to do broad, silent surveillance.”

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request seeking comment, although Beijing routinely denies allegations of its involvement in cyberespionage. On Friday, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency added the Versa vulnerability to its list of “known exploited vulnerabilities.”

Brandon Wales, the recently departed executive director of CISA, was quoted by the Washington Post on Tuesday saying that China’s hacking effort had “dramatically stepped up from where it used to be.”

Volt Typhoon has emerged as a group of particular concern to U.S. cybersecurity officials. In April, FBI Director Christopher Wray said China was developing the “ability to physically wreak havoc” on U.S. critical infrastructure. — Reuters

BANGKOK — Thailand’s economic growth has not reached its full potential, though there are some signs of recovery, a caretaker deputy finance minister said on Wednesday.

Southeast Asia’s second largest economy is likely to grow between 2.3% and 2.8% this year, Paopoom Rojanasakul said at a business forum.

He said the growth rate had not reached its full potential due to complex factors, including global geopolitical tensions, volatilities in global financial markets and domestic factors such as the political situation and delays in budget spending.

“Despite these challenges, we have confidence in the resilience and adaptability of the Thai economy, and we are seeing signs of economic recovery,” Mr. Paopoom said.

New investment is needed to maintain the country’s competitiveness, he added. 

Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew at a faster pace of 2.3% in the April-June quarter from a year earlier, beating analysts’ expectations.

Last year’s growth of 1.9% lagged regional peers. —  Reuters

BUENAVENTURA, Mexico — In the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, residents and farmers have anxiously watched and waited for clouds to bring rain to refill dried-out dams, water wells and lagoons. They’ve waited so far in vain.

The largest state of Mexico has a dry or semi-dry climate at the best of times, but has faced unusually low rainfall levels in recent years. Near the town of Buenaventura, the Las Lajas dam is near empty and the little water left is infested with dead fish.

“The situation is bleak,” said Rogelio Pacheco Flores, the municipal president of Buenaventura. “This dam is practically without water. We see total devastation, the truth is that nature is punishing us.”

Cattle from nearby farms have come to cool off in the little wet mud that remains, but the depleted dam has meant many farmers have suffered, unable to irrigate their crops.

In previous planting seasons, the wells helped water the land, but amid the drought farmers have decided to leave land unplanted or use the scarce water to keep long-standing groves of walnut trees from dying.

“The levels of our farming wells are dwindling,” said local farmer Angel Rueda Solorio. “We are no longer able to sow our crops due to the lack of water. We have already had several years, two consecutive years without rain.”

Local beekeepers have also been hit. Bees are dying in huge numbers because the lack of rain has drastically reduced wild flower blooms, causing the bees to go looking for pollen in the crop fields, where herbicides kill them as well as pests.

“There is almost no vegetation in the landscape right now, due to the drought,” said Adan Rascon Ramos, a beekeeper in the area for around 30 years.

As water levels have fallen, the local tourist trade has dried up, along with fishing, leaving producers hoping that conditions will improve in the months ahead.

“I have been working here for a year now at the dam and I have seen how the number of people who come to walk around the dam has decreased since last year,” said Daniel Alberto Rubi, a fisherman who gives boat tours to visitors.

“This year things are very dry. The dam is at like 20% capacity and it keeps going down.” — Reuters