# APT17: threat group profile

> APT17 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 2 attack techniques, and to attacks on government, private sector and civil society organisations, with 11 countries and victims named. This free profile shows how it works and who it targets, so you can judge the risk to you.

Canonical page: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/threat-actors/apt17
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## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 2 (plus 1 sub-techniques) |
| Countries and victims named | 11 |
| Thought to operate from | China |
| Suspected backing | China |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 11 |
| Public reports | 13 |

## Who is APT17?

APT17 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 2 attack techniques, and to attacks on government, private sector and civil society organisations, with 11 countries and victims named.

### Also known as

Group 8, AURORA PANDA, Hidden Lynx, Tailgater Team, Dogfish, BRONZE KEYSTONE, G0025, Group 72, G0001, Axiom, HELIUM

Security companies each give the same group their own name, so one group can have many.

### What public reporting says

> FireEye described APT17 in a 2015 report as: 'APT17, also known as DeputyDog, is a China based threat group that FireEye Intelligence has observed conducting network intrusions against U.S. government entities, the defense industry, law firms, information technology companies, mining companies, and non-government organizations.'

## How does APT17 attack? Stage by stage

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 2 linked to APT17. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 1 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

### 1. Research (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 2. Preparation (2)

- T1583: Acquire Infrastructure
- T1585: Establish Accounts

### 3. Getting in (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 4. Running code (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 5. Staying in (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 6. Taking control (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 7. Hiding (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 8. Disabling defences (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 9. Stealing passwords (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 10. Looking around (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 11. Spreading (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 12. Gathering data (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 13. Keeping contact (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 14. Taking data out (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 15. Causing damage (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

## Who does APT17 go after?

**Sectors:** Government, Private sector, Civil society

**Countries and victims named:** United States, Netherlands, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Belgium, Russia, Indonesia, Germany, Switzerland, China

See threats by industry: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/industries

## Public reports about APT17

- https://web.archive.org/web/20130924130243/https://www.fireeye.com/blog/technical/cyber-exploits/2013/09/operation-deputydog-zero-day-cve-2013-3893-attack-against-japanese-targets.html
- https://paper.seebug.org/papers/APT/APT_CyberCriminal_Campagin/2013/hidden_lynx.pdf
- https://www.cfr.org/interactive/cyber-operations/apt-17
- https://www.carbonblack.com/2013/02/08/bit9-and-our-customers-security/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20141016080249/http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/security-vendors-take-action-against-hidden-lynx-malware
- https://web.archive.org/web/20130920000343/https://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/hidden-lynx-professional-hackers-hire
- https://www.recordedfuture.com/hidden-lynx-analysis/
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/bronze-keystone
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0025/
- https://cfr.org/cyber-operations/axiom
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0001/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFJqD-LcpIg
- https://www.mandiant.com/resources/insights/apt-groups

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is APT17?

APT17 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 2 attack techniques, and to attacks on government, private sector and civil society organisations, with 11 countries and victims named.

### Where is APT17 thought to be based?

Public reporting places APT17 as operating from China, with suspected state backing. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

### Who does APT17 target?

In public reporting, sectors named include government, private sector and civil society, and 11 countries and victims are named, including United States, Netherlands, Italy and Japan.

### How does APT17 attack?

Public reporting links APT17 to 2 attack techniques. Most of them are about preparation.

### How do I know if APT17 is a risk to my business?

Create an account and tell us the software you run. We match it against known flaws, including those linked to threat groups, rank each one from 0 to 100 and tell you as soon as we spot something that affects you.

## Check whether it matters to your business

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