New malware strains, rarely-used Windows functions, and a “complex infection chain” have been discovered in a new espionage effort that has been running for at least three years. APT 41, BARIUM, or Blackfly, a Chinese state-sponsored actor, has been targeting several technological and manufacturing firms in North America, Europe, and Asia since at least 2019, according to the company’s report. Data such as victim-developed intellectual property, confidential papers, blueprints, schematics, formulae and manufacturing-related proprietary data were targeted for exfiltration. Hundreds of terabytes of important intelligence are believed to have been stolen by the attackers. Abuse like this is quite uncommon…