# APT27: threat group profile

> APT27 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected backing from Unknown. Public reporting about it is still limited. This free profile brings together what is known about it, so you can judge the risk to you.

Canonical page: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/threat-actors/apt27
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/) > [Threat groups](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/threat-actors) > APT27

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 0 |
| Countries and victims named | 15 |
| Thought to operate from | China |
| Suspected backing | Unknown |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 14 |
| Public reports | 22 |

## Who is APT27?

APT27 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected backing from Unknown. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Also known as

GreedyTaotie, TG-3390, EMISSARY PANDA, TEMP.Hippo, Red Phoenix, Budworm, Group 35, ZipToken, Iron Tiger, BRONZE UNION, Lucky Mouse, G0027, Iron Taurus, Earth Smilodon

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

### What public reporting says

> A China-based actor that targets foreign embassies to collect data on government, defence, and technology sectors.

## Who does APT27 go after?

**Sectors:** Government, Private sector

**Countries and victims named:** United States, United Kingdom, France, Japan, Taiwan, India, Canada, China, Thailand, Israel, Australia, Republic of Korea, Russia, Iran, Turkey

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

## Public reports about APT27

- https://i.blackhat.com/Asia-22/Friday-Materials/AS-22-Li-To-Loot-Or-Not-To-Loot-That-Is-Not-a-Question.pdf
- https://web.archive.org/web/20140129192702/https://www.scmagazineuk.com/iran-and-russia-blamed-for-state-sponsored-espionage/article/330401/
- https://labs.bitdefender.com/2018/02/operation-pzchao-a-possible-return-of-the-iron-tiger-apt/
- https://www.bitdefender.com/files/News/CaseStudies/study/185/Bitdefender-Business-2017-WhitePaper-PZCHAO-crea2452-en-EN-GenericUse.pdf
- https://www.cfr.org/interactive/cyber-operations/iron-tiger
- https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/chinese-cyber-espionage-group-hacked-government-data-center/
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/bronze-union
- http://newsroom.trendmicro.com/blog/operation-iron-tiger-attackers-shift-east-asia-united-states
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-group-3390-targets-organizations-for-cyberespionage
- https://www.threatconnect.com/blog/threatconnect-discovers-chinese-apt-activity-in-europe/
- https://www.nccgroup.trust/uk/about-us/newsroom-and-events/blogs/2018/april/decoding-network-data-from-a-gh0st-rat-variant/
- https://securelist.com/luckymouse-ndisproxy-driver/87914/
- https://paper.seebug.org/papers/APT/APT_CyberCriminal_Campagin/2015/2015.09.17.Operation_Iron_Tiger/Operation%20Iron%20Tiger%20Appendix.pdf
- https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/08/newly-discovered-chinese-hacking-group-hacked-100-websites-to-use-as-watering-holes/
- https://securelist.com/luckymouse-hits-national-data-center/86083/
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0027/
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/bronze-union
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/atoms/iron-taurus/
- https://www.mandiant.com/resources/insights/apt-groups
- https://www.pwc.co.uk/cyber-security/pdf/pwc-cyber-threats-2020-a-year-in-retrospect.pdf
- https://www.welivesecurity.com/2021/03/10/exchange-servers-under-siege-10-apt-groups/
- https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/21/d/iron-tiger-apt-updates-toolkit-with-evolved-sysupdate-malware-va.html

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is APT27?

APT27 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected backing from Unknown. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Where is APT27 thought to be based?

Public reporting places APT27 as operating from China, with suspected backing from Unknown. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

### Who does APT27 target?

In public reporting, sectors named include government and private sector, and 15 countries and victims are named, including United States, United Kingdom, France and Japan.

### How do I know if APT27 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.

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