# APT32: threat group profile

> APT32 is an espionage group thought to operate from Vietnam, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 55 attack techniques, and to attacks on government, private sector and civil society organisations, with 6 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/apt32
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/) > [Threat groups](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/threat-actors) > APT32

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 55 (plus 51 sub-techniques) |
| Countries and victims named | 6 |
| Thought to operate from | Vietnam |
| Suspected backing | Vietnam |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 16 |
| Public reports | 13 |

## Who is APT32?

APT32 is an espionage group thought to operate from Vietnam, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 55 attack techniques, and to attacks on government, private sector and civil society organisations, with 6 countries and victims named.

### Also known as

OceanLotus Group, Ocean Lotus, OceanLotus, Cobalt Kitty, APT-C-00, SeaLotus, Sea Lotus, APT-32, APT 32, Ocean Buffalo, POND LOACH, TIN WOODLAWN, BISMUTH, ATK17, G0050, Canvas Cyclone

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

### What public reporting says

> Cyber espionage actors, now designated by FireEye as APT32 (OceanLotus Group), are carrying out intrusions into private sector companies across multiple industries and have also targeted foreign governments, dissidents, and journalists. FireEye assesses that APT32 leverages a unique suite of fully-featured malware, in conjunction with commercially-available tools, to conduct targeted operations that are aligned with Vietnamese state interests.

## How does APT32 attack? Stage by stage

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 55 linked to APT32. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 51 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

### 1. Research (2)

- T1589: Gather Victim Identity Information
- T1598: Phishing for Information

### 2. Preparation (4)

- T1583: Acquire Infrastructure
- T1585: Establish Accounts
- T1588: Obtain Capabilities
- T1608: Stage Capabilities

### 3. Getting in (3)

- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1189: Drive-by Compromise
- T1566: Phishing

### 4. Running code (8)

- T1047: Windows Management Instrumentation
- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter
- T1072: Software Deployment Tools
- T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution
- T1204: User Execution
- T1569: System Services
- T1574: Hijack Execution Flow

### 5. Staying in (7)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1112: Modify Registry
- T1137: Office Application Startup
- T1505: Server Software Component
- T1543: Create or Modify System Process
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 6. Taking control (6)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1055: Process Injection
- T1068: Exploitation for Privilege Escalation
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1543: Create or Modify System Process
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 7. Hiding (9)

- T1027: Obfuscated Files or Information
- T1036: Masquerading
- T1055: Process Injection
- T1070: Indicator Removal
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1216: System Script Proxy Execution
- T1218: System Binary Proxy Execution
- T1564: Hide Artifacts
- T1574: Hijack Execution Flow

### 8. Disabling defences (3)

- T1112: Modify Registry
- T1222: File and Directory Permissions Modification
- T1685: Disable or Modify Tools

### 9. Stealing passwords (3)

- T1003: OS Credential Dumping
- T1056: Input Capture
- T1552: Unsecured Credentials

### 10. Looking around (10)

- T1012: Query Registry
- T1016: System Network Configuration Discovery
- T1018: Remote System Discovery
- T1033: System Owner/User Discovery
- T1046: Network Service Discovery
- T1049: System Network Connections Discovery
- T1082: System Information Discovery
- T1083: File and Directory Discovery
- T1087: Account Discovery
- T1135: Network Share Discovery

### 11. Spreading (4)

- T1021: Remote Services
- T1072: Software Deployment Tools
- T1550: Use Alternate Authentication Material
- T1570: Lateral Tool Transfer

### 12. Gathering data (2)

- T1056: Input Capture
- T1560: Archive Collected Data

### 13. Keeping contact (4)

- T1071: Application Layer Protocol
- T1102: Web Service
- T1105: Ingress Tool Transfer
- T1571: Non-Standard Port

### 14. Taking data out (2)

- T1041: Exfiltration Over C2 Channel
- T1048: Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol

### 15. Causing damage (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

## Who does APT32 go after?

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

**Countries and victims named:** China, Germany, United States, Vietnam, Philippines, Association of Southeast Asian Nations

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

## Public reports about APT32

- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0050/
- https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2017/05/cyber-espionage-apt32.html
- https://www.cybereason.com/labs-operation-cobalt-kitty-a-large-scale-apt-in-asia-carried-out-by-the-oceanlotus-group/
- https://www.scmagazineuk.com/ocean-lotus-groupapt-32-identified-as-vietnamese-apt-group/article/663565/
- https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/10703/261205
- https://github.com/eset/malware-research/tree/master/oceanlotus
- https://www.cfr.org/interactive/cyber-operations/ocean-lotus
- https://www.accenture.com/us-en/blogs/blogs-pond-loach-delivers-badcake-malware
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/tin-woodlawn
- https://www.volexity.com/blog/2020/11/06/oceanlotus-extending-cyber-espionage-operations-through-fake-websites/
- https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/20/k/new-macos-backdoor-connected-to-oceanlotus-surfaces.html
- https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2020/11/30/threat-actor-leverages-coin-miner-techniques-to-stay-under-the-radar-heres-how-to-spot-them
- https://about.fb.com/news/2020/12/taking-action-against-hackers-in-bangladesh-and-vietnam

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is APT32?

APT32 is an espionage group thought to operate from Vietnam, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 55 attack techniques, and to attacks on government, private sector and civil society organisations, with 6 countries and victims named.

### Where is APT32 thought to be based?

Public reporting places APT32 as operating from Vietnam, with suspected state backing. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

### Who does APT32 target?

In public reporting, sectors named include government, private sector and civil society, and 6 countries and victims are named, including China, Germany, United States and Vietnam.

### How does APT32 attack?

Public reporting links APT32 to 55 attack techniques. Most of them are about looking around, hiding and running code.

### How do I know if APT32 is a risk to my business?

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