# MUSTANG PANDA: threat group profile

> MUSTANG PANDA is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. 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/mustang-panda
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## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 0 |
| Countries and victims named | 2 |
| Thought to operate from | China |
| Suspected backing | China |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 12 |
| Public reports | 16 |

## Who is MUSTANG PANDA?

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

### Also known as

BRONZE PRESIDENT, HoneyMyte, Red Lich, TEMP.HEX, BASIN, Earth Preta, TA416, Stately Taurus, LuminousMoth, Polaris, TANTALUM, Twill Typhoon

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

### What public reporting says

> This threat actor targets nongovernmental organizations using Mongolian-themed lures for espionage purposes. In April 2017, CrowdStrike Falcon Intelligence observed a previously unattributed actor group with a Chinese nexus targeting a U.S.-based think tank. Further analysis revealed a wider campaign with unique tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). This adversary targets non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in general, but uses Mongolian language decoys and themes, suggesting this actor has a specific focus on gathering intelligence on Mongolia. These campaigns involve the use of shared malware like Poison Ivy or PlugX. Recently, Falcon Intelligence observed new activity from MUSTANG PANDA, using a unique infection chain to target likely Mongolia-based victims. This newly observed activity uses a series of redirections and fileless, malicious implementations of legitimate tools to gain access to the targeted systems. Additionally, MUSTANG PANDA actors reused previously-observed legitimate domains to host files.

## Who does MUSTANG PANDA go after?

**Sectors:** Civil society

**Countries and victims named:** United States, Germany

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

## Public reports about MUSTANG PANDA

- https://www.cfr.org/interactive/cyber-operations/mustang-panda
- https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/meet-crowdstrikes-adversary-of-the-month-for-june-mustang-panda/
- https://go.crowdstrike.com/rs/281-OBQ-266/images/Report2020CrowdStrikeGlobalThreatReport.pdf
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/bronze-president
- https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/chinese-apt-bronze-president-spy-campaign-russian-military
- https://www.pwc.co.uk/cyber-security/assets/cyber-threats-2019-retrospect.pdf
- https://www.pwc.co.uk/cyber-security/pdf/pwc-cyber-threats-2020-a-year-in-retrospect.pdf
- https://services.google.com/fh/files/blogs/google_fog_of_war_research_report.pdf
- https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/22/k/earth-preta-spear-phishing-governments-worldwide.html
- https://www.proofpoint.com/us/blog/threat-insight/ta416-goes-ground-and-returns-golang-plugx-malware-loader
- https://www.proofpoint.com/us/blog/threat-insight/good-bad-and-web-bug-ta416-increases-operational-tempo-against-european
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/stately-taurus-targets-philippines-government-cyberespionage/
- https://www.bsi.bund.de/DE/Themen/Unternehmen-und-Organisationen/Cyber-Sicherheitslage/Analysen-und-Prognosen/Threat-Intelligence/Aktive_APT-Gruppen/aktive-apt-gruppen_node.html
- https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RW1aFyW
- https://jsac.jpcert.or.jp/archive/2023/pdf/JSAC2023_2_LT4.pdf
- https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/microsoft-threat-intelligence/4/notes

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is MUSTANG PANDA?

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

### Where is MUSTANG PANDA thought to be based?

Public reporting places MUSTANG PANDA 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 MUSTANG PANDA target?

In public reporting, sectors named include civil society, and 2 countries and victims are named, including United States and Germany.

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

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