Researchers claim Salt Typhoon masterminds learned their trade at Cisco Network Academy

""The Cisco Network Academy began in 1997 and entered the Chinese market in 1998. It has now trained more than 200,000 students in China - most, of course, perfectly reputable. Qiu and Yu were apparently top students at the 2012 Cisco Network Academy Cup, representing Southwest Petroleum University. However, a little sleuthing revealed that the pair are co-owners of Beijing Huanyu Tianqiong, with Yu also tied to Sichuan Zhixin Ruijie. Both of these companies were named in a Salt Typhoon cybersecurity advisory by US authorities.""

""Of course, a product training academy educating students on the company's wares is hardly surprising. More notable is the fact that two students from a regional university, with limited recognition in IT and cybersecurity education participated in the Cisco Network Academy and went on to run one of the most expansive collection operations against global telecommunications firms ever detected and disclosed publicly.""

Investigators linked Yu Yang and Qiu Daibing to Salt Typhoon and found they previously trained at the Cisco Network Academy, using insider product knowledge to compromise telecoms systems. Salt Typhoon intercepted unencrypted calls and texts from US presidential candidates, staffers, and China experts, conducting one of the largest intelligence-gathering operations of the decade that dates back to 2019. The Cisco Network Academy launched in 1997 and trained over 200,000 students in China. Qiu and Yu were top contestants in the 2012 Cisco Network Academy Cup and are co-owners of companies named in a US advisory on Salt Typhoon.

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