What are state-sponsored threats?

State-sponsored threats are intellectual property (IP) theft, attacks on critical infrastructure, and media manipulation or disinformation directed by or on behalf of a state agent. 2430 Group specializes in identifying, educating, and combating these threats.

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What techniques do your adversaries use?

Foreign adversaries commonly use intellectual property theft, attacks on critical infrastructure, and media manipulation to access sensitive corporate and government information. Understanding these tactics is vital to protect against them.

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Resources

The following are and resources that 2430 Group finds useful for researchers investigating state-sponsored intellectual property theft, critical infrastructure attacks, and mis- and disinformation.

Featured
Banned China chipmaker YMTC sues Micron again, now over serious defamation claims — Micron funded anti-Chinese tech misinformation campaigns to get ahead, says YMTC
Banned China chipmaker YMTC sues Micron again, now over serious defamation claims — Micron funded anti-Chinese tech misinformation campaigns to get ahead, says YMTC
Employing Foreign Nationals (J-1, H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1 non- immigrant worker visa applicants)
Employing Foreign Nationals (J-1, H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1 non- immigrant worker visa applicants)
Penalties for Violating U.S. Export Control Regulations and Sanctions
Penalties for Violating U.S. Export Control Regulations and Sanctions
Could the Trade Fight Take a Bite Out of Apple?
Could the Trade Fight Take a Bite Out of Apple?

Valuing Intellectual Property Assets
Valuing Intellectual Property Assets
IP and Finance: Accounting and Valuation of IP Assets and IP Based Financing
IP and Finance: Accounting and Valuation of IP Assets and IP Based Financing
Beijing may not be far from having its own EUV technology for chip production
Beijing may not be far from having its own EUV technology for chip production

China’s exploitation of overseas ports and bases
China’s exploitation of overseas ports and bases
Threat Analysis: Likely DPRK Network Backstops on GitHub, Targets Companies Globally
Threat Analysis: Likely DPRK Network Backstops on GitHub, Targets Companies Globally
Chinese Nationalists Praise Trump’s Cuts to Voice of America
Chinese Nationalists Praise Trump’s Cuts to Voice of America

Volt Typhoon hackers were in Massachusetts utility’s systems for 10 months
Volt Typhoon hackers were in Massachusetts utility’s systems for 10 months
China Is Mapping the Seabed to Unlock New Edge in Warfare
China Is Mapping the Seabed to Unlock New Edge in Warfare
China Is Waging a ‘Gray Zone’ Campaign to Cement Power. Here’s How It Looks.
China Is Waging a ‘Gray Zone’ Campaign to Cement Power. Here’s How It Looks.
Chinese investors privately take stakes in Elon Musk’s companies
Chinese investors privately take stakes in Elon Musk’s companies
China’s Military Puts Pacific on Notice as U.S. Priorities Shift
China’s Military Puts Pacific on Notice as U.S. Priorities Shift
US drops website wording on not supporting Taiwan independence
US drops website wording on not supporting Taiwan independence
Remarks By Minister For Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, “On The Horns Of A Trilemma: Geopolitical Recession, Technological Leadership And Energy Security”
Remarks By Minister For Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, “On The Horns Of A Trilemma: Geopolitical Recession, Technological Leadership And Energy Security”
Chinese hackers breach more US telecoms via unpatched Cisco routers
Chinese hackers breach more US telecoms via unpatched Cisco routers
Europe Could Be Supporting Russia’s War via ‘Seven Sons’ Partnerships
Europe Could Be Supporting Russia’s War via ‘Seven Sons’ Partnerships

Chinese Companies’ New Tactic to Stop Damaging Research: Legal Threats
Chinese Companies’ New Tactic to Stop Damaging Research: Legal Threats
New York’s Chinese Dissidents Thought He Was an Ally. He Was a Spy
New York’s Chinese Dissidents Thought He Was an Ally. He Was a Spy
China Tells Chief Economists: Be Positive, or Else
China Tells Chief Economists: Be Positive, or Else
FACT SHEET: Implications of Salt Typhoon Attack and FCC Response
FACT SHEET: Implications of Salt Typhoon Attack and FCC Response
China Tightens Its Hold on Minerals Needed to Make Computer Chips
China Tightens Its Hold on Minerals Needed to Make Computer Chips

FBI probes whether Silicon Valley venture firm passed secrets to China
FBI probes whether Silicon Valley venture firm passed secrets to China

Former High-Ranking New York State Government Employee Charged with Acting as an Undisclosed Agent of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party
Former High-Ranking New York State Government Employee Charged with Acting as an Undisclosed Agent of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party

US companies with highest exposure to China
US companies with highest exposure to China
Chinese Government Poses 'Broad and Unrelenting' Threat to U.S. Critical Infrastructure, FBI Director Says
Chinese Government Poses 'Broad and Unrelenting' Threat to U.S. Critical Infrastructure, FBI Director Says
China Intensifies Push to ‘Delete America’ From Its Technology
China Intensifies Push to ‘Delete America’ From Its Technology
PRC State-Sponsored Actors Compromise and Maintain Persistent Access to U.S. Critical Infrastructure
PRC State-Sponsored Actors Compromise and Maintain Persistent Access to U.S. Critical Infrastructure

How do foreign adversaries weaponize disinformation?

States often employ traditional and social media platforms to spread disinformation that targets specific companies or governments. Our experts specialize in tracing Russian, Chinese, and Iranian campaigns to sow distrust or false narratives on key platforms.

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Our Latest Research

Featured
China, Hong Kong, and Russia’s Intelligence and Counter-Espionage Laws
China, Hong Kong, and Russia’s Intelligence and Counter-Espionage Laws

This document is a categorized reference list of the major laws, regulations, and frameworks that shape the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong, and Russia’s contemporary national-security and counter-espionage environment.

RedNote: A Threat Assessment
RedNote: A Threat Assessment

RedNote, a short-form video and augmented reality platform better known in Mandarin as xiaohongshu, or “little red book,” has rapidly gained traction in recent years as an alternative to the video blogging service TikTok, especially among younger users drawn to its immersive alternate reality features and tailored content feeds. Like TikTok, RedNote offers algorithmically driven entertainment; however, its underlying infrastructure and legal obligations differ in critical ways. While TikTok has faced scrutiny over its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and its opaque data practices, RedNote is even more closely aligned with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) surveillance architecture. Promoted as a creative social app, RedNote conforms to PRC policy of surveillance-by-design, requiring extensive data extraction, non-transparent content moderation, and legally mandated state access to user information. This closer look examines how RedNote operates within—and extends—the global reach of China’s digital governance model.

The author, Christian Ryan, is an open-source national security researcher and a Research Fellow at Trefoil Strategies Ltd., a Pittsburgh-based risk consultancy.

Arming Our Adversaries: The Inadequacy of US Chip Controls
Arming Our Adversaries: The Inadequacy of US Chip Controls

US and allied export controls are failing to stop critical microelectronics from reaching sanctioned adversaries like Russia and Iran. Weak supply chain oversight, inconsistent due diligence, and industry resistance to stricter controls have enabled a global gray market for these components, undermining national security and costing American lives.

This paper analyzes the widespread availability of US components used in Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and specifically:

  • documents the methodology used to track critical components and their
    distribution channels;

  • presents four detailed findings that reveal significant vulnerabilities in the semiconductor supply chain and distribution networks; and

  • offers five practical recommendations for government and industry to help disrupt the flow of US technology to adversary states.