Chinese APT Abuses Multiple Cloud Tools to Spy on Mongolia www.darkreading.com

There's a newly discovered Chinese advanced persistent threat (APT) out in the wild, and it's been targeting the government of Mongolia.

The group, "GopherWhisper," is only now being described in public, but it isn't actually new to the cyber threat landscape. Judging by internal chat logs, it's been variously active since November 2023.

GopherWhisper won't turn any heads with the sophistication of its attacks. It arguably distinguishes itself only in two respects: by using a gaggle of different backdoors, each of which leverages a different means of command-and-control (C2), and by its heavy focus in a country not often targeted by other cyber threat actors. Researchers at ESET found that it backdoored 12 systems inside of one Mongolian government institution, and evidence suggests that dozens more Mongolian victims may have been impacted too.

GopherWhisper's Backdoors
On Jan. 2, 2025, ESET researchers discovered two malware samples: a backdoor, "LaxGopher," and its injector, "JabGopher." One might reasonably expect, at that point, that they had a pretty good idea of how this threat actor was attacking its victims.

A few days later, though, through C2 data recovered from LaxGopher, they found a second backdoor, "CompactGopher." A few weeks after than, on Jan. 22, came yet another backdoor, "RatGopher." March 5 unearthed a fourth backdoor, "BoxOfFriends," and its loader, "FriendDelivery." And on March 24, there was "SSLORDoor."

Each of these backdoors distinguishes itself in small, technical ways, but the main difference is in what sort of means they use for C2. Each abuses some popular, mainstream cloud-hosted service to send and receive data to targeted machines. LaxGopher uses Slack, RatGopher uses Discord. BoxofFriends manages the same kinds of communications via email drafts in Microsoft Outlook. SSLORDoor doesn't abuse a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, and CompactGopher isn't technically a C2 tool, as it only manages file exfiltration via the public file-sharing service file.io.

It's unclear why GopherWhisper felt compelled to cook up five different versions of the same basic dish. Doing so might have allowed it to pivot more easily, if any one of its C2 methods were ever discovered or blocked. Perhaps it's also the case that, if you can't build an A-grade spy tool, having a bunch of C-grade options is good enough. 

"They are quite productive in the way that they are using a lot of different custom backdoors in a short amount of time," says ESET senior malware researcher Mathieu Tartare. But he qualifies that comment, adding, "I wouldn't say that this is a particularly sophisticated group." Compared with the many other backdoors these days that abuse popular cloud-based services, nothing about GopherWhisper's toolset stands out for being all that impressive.

More to the point, in a presentation at Botconf 2026, ESET malware researcher Eric Howard noted, "Their 'Downloads' directory contains some interesting file names, including 'How to write RATs,' which leads us to believe that these operators might be new to developing malware."

The Cyber Threat Landscape in Mongolia
Mongolia has the poor fortune of being sandwiched between two of the world's most capable cyber powers.

From Tartare's point of view, "In Mongolia we see mostly — I wouldn't say exclusively, but mostly — China-aligned groups targeting organizations. I would say it's necessarily like Ukraine with Russia, but they are quite heavily targeted [by one country]." Some higher-profile cases over time include a RedDelta campaign from 2023 to 2024, an unattributed COVID-related campaign in 2020, and an APT27 (aka Emissary Panda) campaign against a national data center a few years before that. Notably, all three of these campaigns were targeted at the government sector.

As reported by Mongolia's UB Post, however, Mongolian government data suggests that the overwhelming volume of malicious cyber activity in the country comes from Russia, with the US a distant second. Though APT attacks out of Russia are less frequent, in 2023 and 2024, Google researchers found the Russian threat actor APT29 (aka Midnight Blizzard) exploiting Mongolian government websites for watering hole attacks, infecting the devices of passersby with surveillanceware. This isn't to say that Mongolia has only two or three adversaries, either, as it's occasionally swept up in broader espionage campaigns across the Asian continent as well.

According to the National Security Council of Mongolia's Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS), an Ulaanbaatar-based government think tank, Mongolia in 2024 recorded 1.6 million total cyberattacks and cyber incidents, 13,061 of which involved cybercrimes, costing $25.4 million in damages. The government has been working in recent years to stem its problem, most notably through a 2021 law on cybersecurity and a National Cyber Security Strategy, approved in January 2023.

As one ISS author wrote last year, "Mongolia is trying to keep [up] on global trends of digitalization but our cybersecurity is weighed down by a plethora of challenges, which necessitates massive intervention to unburden. Mongolia has made strides, but cybersecurity threats know no borders."

By Contributing Writer

Nate Nelson is a journalist and scriptwriter. He writes for "Darknet Diaries" — the most popular podcast in cybersecurity — and co-created the former Top 20 tech podcast "Malicious Life."

How a sinking lithospheric root raised Mongolia's Hangay Mountains www.phys.org

Central Mongolia's Hangay Mountains rise more than four kilometers above sea level, forming a dramatic dome that shapes the region's climate. But for decades, geologists have been puzzled: What caused this massive mountain range to form so far from any active plate boundary? Unlike the linear Himalayas, which are still rising from the collision of India and Asia, the dome-shaped Hangay Mountains show little internal deformation, suggesting a different and previously unknown mechanism.

In a new study published in Geology, an international research team led by Professor Pengfei Li of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reports the first discovery of Cretaceous magmatism in the Hangay Mountains, allowing them to establish a spatial and temporal link between deep geodynamic processes and surface uplift. By analyzing the ages and geochemistry of newly discovered volcanic rocks, the team found that a dense piece of lithospheric mantle beneath the Hangay Mountains broke off and sank into the deeper mantle about 125–114 million years ago.

This "foundering" event triggered melting of the mantle, generated magma, and caused the overlying crust to dome upward, creating the dome-shaped Hangay Mountains we see today. Remarkably, this foundering happened after an ancient plate boundary bent into a giant U-shape—a process called oroclinal bending—which thickened the lithosphere at the most-curved part of that bend to facilitate the subsequent foundering.

The findings offer a new model for understanding how mountains can form in the middle of continents, far from plate boundaries. They also reveal a surprising link between deep Earth processes and surface landscapes: large-scale oroclinal bending can drive a lithospheric root to sink, which in turn triggers volcanism, builds topography, and even influences regional climate by creating rain shadows. This study opens fresh questions about how such "intracontinental" mountains may have shaped Earth's habitability over deep time, and it could help scientists better interpret similar mountain ranges elsewhere on our planet.

Mongolia agrees petroleum product supplies at domestic market prices with Russia www.interfax.com

Russia will not raise refinery gate prices for gasoline and diesel fuel exported to Mongolia, Mongolian government said on its website.

Mongolian Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Damdinnyam Gongor held talks with Russian officials on fuel supplies.

"He met with Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov. Following discussions on how to resolve the current situation, an agreement in principle was reached. Russia said it would supply fuel at domestic market prices. Minister Damdinnyam therefore announced that fuel and gasoline prices would not increase in May," the statement reads.

It was reported that the Mongolian authorities see a real threat to the country's fuel market and financial stability from the consequences of the military operation being conducted by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. Mongolia's economy, dependent on imports of petroleum products, will suffer from a global shock in the world market, which will trigger a fuel crisis that could last several months, according to the authorities.

At the end of March, it emerged that the Mongolian authorities had asked the government of Russia, which supplies 98% of all petroleum products to Mongolia, not to raise oil prices within the framework of bilateral trade, despite volatility in the global oil market. Mongolia forecasts that fuel prices on the domestic market could rise by up to 40% in the event of further increases in world prices.

Also, Mongolia and Kazakhstan have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the oil and gas sector, and are studying the possibility of supplying at least 1 million tonnes of Kazakh oil to Mongolia.

Meat Export Revenue Reaches USD 345.3 Million www.montsame.mn

With the purpose to boost meat and meat product exports and diversify product offerings, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry has established four working groups.

In this context, key priorities are being given to stopping the spread of infectious livestock diseases, improving hygiene and sanitary regulations and standards for exporting meat and meat products, and aligning them with international practices.

By the end of 2025, Mongolia’s meat exports reached 85,624 tonnes, marking a 20% increase compared to the previous year. Export revenue rose to a record USD 345.3 million.

Of the total exports in 2025, 34,653 tonnes were horse meat and 22,528 tonnes were processed meat products. China remains Mongolia’s largest buyer, accounting for 62% of exports, while 22% went to Gulf countries such as Iran and Iraq.

Meat exports, which declined during the pandemic, have rebounded significantly in recent years. Between 2020 and 2022, exports declined by an average of 45%, reaching a low of 16,000 tonnes in 2022. Since 2023, however, they have surged, reaching 80,400 tonnes - the highest level since the pandemic.

Businesses Sign Agreements Worth Over USD 20 Million www.montsame.mn

As part of the State Visit of President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa to the Republic of Kazakhstan, the “Kazakhstan-Mongolia Business Forum” was held in Astana.

The business forum aims at connecting Mongolian businesses with similar companies in Kazakhstan and help them enter new markets. It focused on sectors such as food production, wool and cashmere, leather, construction, transport, logistics and finance.

Organized jointly by the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI) and “Atameken” National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan, the forum has brought together more than 250 representatives from government and private sectors of both countries.     

Both sides expressed their commitments to enriching their “strategic partnership” with economic content, developing mutually beneficial cooperation, expanding trade and investment and improving business environment. They highlighted that the EAEU-Mongolia Interim Trade Agreement, which removes or reduces tariffs on 367 types of goods, will help achieve the goal of increasing bilateral trade turnover to USD 500 million in the coming years and provide access to the Central Asian and third markets.   

During the forum, businesses from both countries exchanged views on future cooperation, investment opportunities, as well as joint projects and programs. Concluding the forum, Mongolian companies signed agreements and deals worth over USD 20 million with their Kazakhstan’s partners in the initial stage.

Agreements and cooperation memorandums were signed between the following partnerships:

    The MNCCI and “QazTrade” Trade Policy Development Center
    “QazTrade” Trade Policy Development Center and “Mon-Kaz Trade & Investment Hub”
    “Mon-Kaz Trade & Investment Hub” and Kazakhstan’s Export Credit Agency
    The Mongolian Tourism Association and the Tourism Department of Almaty Region
    Women entrepreneurs’ councils under Atameken and the MNCCI
    The Atyrau Wagon Manufacturing Plant and “Mongolian Ore Bal” LLC
    “Mongolian Ore Bal” LLC and “Altay Agro Trading” LLP
    The Mongolian Youth Federation and the Youth Congress of Kazakhstan
    The Association of Mongolian Wool Producers- Kham-Ts Group
    “CHBG Construction” LLC and “Alkaralbio”
    “Mongolsat Networks” LLC and “Askar Cinema”
    “Tuginat” LLC and “SymbatLab” LLC
    “Tuginat” LLC and “AB Smart Logistic”
    “Tuginat” LLC and “SS-Agro”
    “Munkh Amin Orchil” LLC and “KazEcoAgro”
    “Zhi Eu Finsight Holding” and “Go Finsight Agro Holding”
    “NUKHTTOUR” Co.Ltd- “Gumin Green Tech SPC Limited” and “RailSolution” LLC
    “Fine Wool Cashmere” and “Birzhan”
These agreements cover cooperation in trade, investment, logistics, tourism, agriculture, and industrial production.

President U.Khurelsukh meets with Armenian President Vahagn Garniki Khachaturyan www.gogo.mn

President U.Khurelsukh met with Armenian President Vahagn Garniki Khachaturyan during his participation in the regional high-level meeting on ecology in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The two heads of state noted the active development of traditionally friendly relations in the political sphere and exchanged views on expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

They also discussed the possibility of deepening economic and trade ties, particularly the export of agricultural products to the Armenian market within the framework of the interim trade agreement between Mongolia and the Eurasian Economic Union and its member states.

President U.Khurelsukh also introduced Mongolia’s “Billion Trees” national movement, launched in 2021 to help address global and regional challenges such as climate change and desertification and to promote ecological balance. 

N.Uchral: Diesel fuel could reach MNT 6,400 in May www.gogo.mn

Prime Minister N.Uchral said the situation in the Strait of Hormuz has shaken global markets and caused a sharp rise in diesel fuel prices.

“There are many fuel-related issues. Mongolia has been purchasing fuel based on the Singapore Exchange price system. However, the current global situation has created an unprecedented challenge. Instability in the Strait of Hormuz has severely affected the global energy market, causing crude oil and refined product prices to rise sharply. It is unclear how much worse the situation may become,” he said.

He noted that last April, diesel fuel was purchased at a price twice as high as in March, at USD 1,400 per ton, and is expected to rise to USD 1,700 in May.

“In other words, a liter of diesel fuel cost MNT 3,200 a month ago, but today it has risen to MNT 4,400. In May, it is expected to reach nearly MNT 6,400 per liter. The government has already taken measures, including removing a 5% customs duty. Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources G.Damdinnyam has been sent to Russia for urgent talks, and a meeting is also scheduled in Kazakhstan. I believe we will reach an effective agreement,” he said.

Why Britain’s partnership with Mongolia matters for our growth and security www.politicshome.com

Last month, I made my first visit to Mongolia as Minister for the Indo-Pacific.

Our UK-Mongolia relationship is based on shared democratic values, with our governments, civil society, Parliamentarians and media working side by side to build a more secure and prosperous future for our nations and our people.

The world we face now is increasingly volatile, with global events shaping our lives – wherever we are. We must continue to build partnerships around the world to face our shared challenges together.

That’s why my visit was about translating partnership into practical results: securing opportunities for British business, strengthening economic security, and backing a partnership that has purpose and ambition for today and for tomorrow.

Learn more about the house
The UK was the first Western nation to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia over sixty years ago, and that relationship has become ever more important in recent years. Mongolia’s economy is growing by 5–6 per cent a year, and the country is rich in the critical minerals on which the global economy increasingly depends. 

At the heart of my visit was the annual UK–Mongolia Political Dialogue, which I co‑chaired with Mongolia’s Deputy Foreign Minister. In Ulaanbaatar, this partnership is taking shape beneath the city streets. I discussed plans for the city’s first metro system – a transformative project that would cut congestion, reduce pollution and improve daily life for millions. British engineering expertise from projects like London’s Elizabeth Line is supporting those plans, backed by a strong UK Export Finance offer. If this project proceeds, it could generate significant export opportunities for the UK, supporting skilled jobs across our rail, engineering, and professional services sectors.

The benefits of partnership were also clear during my visit to the Gobi Desert, where I visited the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine, one of the largest in the world and operated by Rio Tinto, a British‑Australian company. With an ore body the size of Manhattan, the copper and other critical minerals extracted here are essential for everything from electric vehicles and renewable energy to data centres and the technologies that underpin modern life. At Oyu Tolgoi, UK linked investment is supporting communities and strengthening secure, sustainable supply chains the world depends on.

But our partnership is not only about minerals and megaprojects. Long‑term prosperity depends on people, skills, and opportunity. Working with UNICEF and Mongolia’s Ministry of Education, the UK is supporting Mongolia’s decision to make English its official second language through the provision of English‑language teaching, including in remote and nomadic communities. This partnership has already reached more than 147,000 young people, opening doors for the next generation of Mongolians. As one student said to me at our event with UNICEF, learning English “didn’t just teach her a language, it opened up a world of opportunity.”

Alongside this, the UK’s Chevening programme continues to support talented Mongolians to study in the UK, many of whom will go on to shape politics, business and civil society back in their own country in the years ahead. These alumni links are a powerful investment in future prosperity – strengthening long‑term ties that benefit both our nations.  

On my visit I also saw the importance of women’s leadership and civil society to economic success. I met female parliamentarians, business leaders and journalists, and supported UK‑backed work examining the barriers women face in public life. Inclusive economies are stronger economies. Women own two thirds of small and medium sized businesses in Mongolia and are represented at senior levels across heavy industry sectors too. Our tour of the Oyu Tolgoi mine was led by women engineers, and the driver of the “road train” – the long underground lorry, was a young woman.

Maintaining traditional sectors is important alongside new development. In the South Gobi, I also met with a herder family and saw first-hand Mongolia’s nomadic traditions. The family we met owned 100 camels and hundreds of livestock, while their sons have taken up opportunities as engineers at the mine and continue to support their parents as they can. It was a reminder that sustainable growth must work for communities as well as markets – and that responsible investment is essential to long‑term stability. 

Together the UK and Mongolia are investing in the future – in the next generation, in shared opportunity and in a partnership that will deliver in the decades to come.

Seema Malhotra MP

Condé Nast Traveller announces seven natural wonders of the world www.hospitalitynet.org

LONDON - Today, Condé Nast Traveller, the global authority on high-end travel, has revealed its seven natural wonders of the world. 

From Mongolia to Brazil, Condé Nast Traveller celebrates the places shaped slowly, by water, wind and ice, highlighting that in an age of accelerating change, these powerful landscapes represent the world’s deepest, but often overlooked beauty. 

Please see the full list below with the article available here: https://www.cntraveller.com/article/7-natural-wonders-of-the-world 

Altai Mountains - Mongolia

Great Bear Rainforest - Canada

Tsingy de Bemaraha - Madagascar

Raja Ampat - Indonesia

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park - Brazil

Morne Trois Pitons - Dominica

Bears Ears National Monument - USA

Find out why these landscapes have been selected in the full article available here:
https://www.cntraveller.com/article/7-natural-wonders-of-the-world 

ABOUT CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER
Condé Nast Traveller is the world’s most distinguished travel title providing inspiration and advice for discerning travellers. Authoritative and influential, Condé Nast Traveller features destinations in the UK and around the world, whilst offering their award-winning expertise in luxury travel. The title assembles four major hotel lists every year: Hot List, Spa Guide, Readers’ Choice Awards and The Gold List. https://www.cntraveller.com/

Mongolia Presents Three Environmental Initiatives at Astana Summit www.montsame.mn

President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa attended the opening of the Regional Ecological Summit being held in Astana as part of his State Visit to Kazakhstan.

Mongolia is participating in the summit with three initiatives focused on water, pastureland management, and nature-based solutions.

Participants are discussing eight priority themes, including support for climate transition, adaptation to climate and natural risks, economic resilience, regional ecosystems and food security, sustainable natural resource management, air pollution and waste management, mechanisms for implementing environmental goals, a just and inclusive transition, and the environment and digital transformation.

The summit is expected to define joint policies and strategies to respond to water shortages, glacier and ice melt, desertification, and air pollution, while also promoting cooperation among governments, the private sector, and international organizations in green finance, green technology, and sustainable investment.

Addressing the opening session, President Khurelsukh thanked President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for hosting the summit and said the meeting would make an important contribution to overcoming global challenges such as climate change, desertification, and water scarcity through collective action. He noted that at a time when implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals remains insufficient globally, Mongolia is actively advancing its “Billions of Trees” national movement to reduce land degradation and restore forests.

The president also called for cooperation under Mongolia’s initiative of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists to raise recognition of the sector and promote sustainable pasture management, restoration, investment, and food security.

He said Mongolia would work closely to implement proposals and recommendations emerging from the summit.

President Khurelsukh also invited countries to actively participate in the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, to be held in Ulaanbaatar in August under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope.” He also invited countries to send delegations to the World Women Parliamentarians Conference, which will be held in October.

President Tokayev first announced Kazakhstan’s plan to host the Regional Ecological Summit in 2026 while addressing the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2023.

About 1,500 representatives are attending the summit, including heads of state and government as well as senior officials from Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, China, Italy, Germany, and Japan.

Representatives of the United Nations, international organizations, banks and financial institutions, including the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, as well as researchers, civil society, businesses, and media are also participating.

More than 50 cooperation documents, including joint statements, declarations, agreements, initiatives, investment projects, and programs, are expected to be signed at the summit, according to the Presidential Office.