A recent report from BleepingComputer details how a Chinese nation-state hacking group exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Cityworks—a popular asset management and community development platform used by local governments across the U.S.
The attackers leveraged this flaw to gain unauthorized access to government networks, highlighting once again the growing threat posed by advanced persistent threats (APTs) and the critical need for proactive cybersecurity strategies.
Source: Chinese hackers breach US local governments using Cityworks zero-day – BleepingComputer
The Breach: What Happened?
According to the report, the zero-day vulnerability affected the Cityworks software developed by Trimble. The threat actors, identified as a Chinese APT group, exploited this vulnerability in targeted attacks against U.S. local governments. These breaches occurred before a patch was made available—a stark reminder of how quickly adversaries can exploit unpatched systems and how easily traditional defenses can be bypassed.
Once inside, the attackers could exfiltrate sensitive data, conduct reconnaissance, and potentially establish persistence on compromised networks. While details of the exact tools and methods used post-exploitation remain limited, the tactic follows a familiar pattern seen in recent high-profile intrusions: exploit unknown vulnerability, evade detection, and maintain access for long-term exploitation.
The Growing Risks of Zero-Days
This incident is part of a growing trend in cyberattacks where state-sponsored and criminal actors exploit zero-day vulnerabilities to gain initial access. Zero-days—flaws that are unknown to vendors and unpatched at the time of exploitation—are particularly dangerous because they evade signature-based detection, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and traditional antivirus tools.
These types of attacks don’t just bypass defenses—they exploit the very assumptions those defenses are built on. Detection-based tools rely on prior knowledge: known behaviors, known signatures, known attack chains. But zero-days are, by definition, unknown. And that makes them a perfect tool for adversaries who want to get in quietly and stay in unnoticed.
Why “Detect and Respond” Is Failing
In this and countless other recent incidents, we see a common thread: attackers slipping through even the most advanced detection and response tools.
It’s not that detection is useless—it’s that it’s too late. By the time malicious activity is detected, it’s often already done significant damage. And as adversaries grow more sophisticated, using fileless techniques, living-off-the-land binaries (LOLBins), and AI-assisted evasion methods, detecting their presence becomes harder and slower—if it happens at all.
Relying solely on detection is like trying to catch a burglar after they’ve already looted the house.
It’s Time to Move to Isolation and Containment
What the Cityworks breach—and other zero-day attacks—make clear is this: organizations need to shift from a reactive posture to a preventive one.
That’s where AppGuard comes in.
AppGuard is a field-proven endpoint protection solution that doesn’t rely on detecting threats to stop them. Instead, it uses Isolation and Containment at the process level to prevent malware, even zero-days and fileless attacks, from executing in the first place.
With AppGuard:
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Unpatched vulnerabilities are protected against exploitation.
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Unknown threats are stopped before they run—no signatures needed.
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Critical applications are shielded from lateral movement and privilege escalation.
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Endpoints remain resilient, even when detection tools fail.
AppGuard has protected high-risk systems for over a decade, including in critical infrastructure and defense sectors. Now, it's available for commercial use—giving small and mid-sized businesses access to a technology that was once reserved for the most targeted environments.
Don’t Wait for the Next Zero-Day
The attackers aren’t slowing down. They’re getting smarter, faster, and better at evading detection. The question isn’t if another zero-day will be exploited—it’s when, and whether your organization is ready.
It’s time to move beyond “detect and respond.”
It’s time to isolate and contain.
Let’s Talk About Real Protection
If you're a business owner, IT leader, or government decision-maker, now is the time to reevaluate your cybersecurity strategy. Talk with us at CHIPS about how AppGuard can help you prevent incidents like the Cityworks breach—before they happen.
Let’s stop playing catch-up. Let’s take control.
📞 Contact us today to learn how AppGuard is the answer.
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