China has been identified as the leading nation in government-backed exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities, according to a report released by Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google. What Happened: The Google report, published on Wednesday, revealed that China’s cyber espionage groups exploited 12 zero-day vulnerabilities in 2023, a notable increase from the seven in 2022. This trend is indicative of a broader global surge in zero-day exploits. In 2023, 97 vulnerabilities were exploited, a 50% increase from the previous year but still below the record set in 2021. “The People’s …