# Naikon: threat group profile

> Naikon is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 13 attack techniques, and to attacks on government and private sector organisations, with 14 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/naikon
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/) > [Threat groups](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/threat-actors) > Naikon

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 13 (plus 10 sub-techniques) |
| Countries and victims named | 14 |
| Thought to operate from | China |
| Suspected backing | China |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 7 |
| Public reports | 12 |

## Who is Naikon?

Naikon is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 13 attack techniques, and to attacks on government and private sector organisations, with 14 countries and victims named.

### Also known as

PLA Unit 78020, OVERRIDE PANDA, Camerashy, BRONZE GENEVA, G0019, BRONZE STERLING, G0013

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

### What public reporting says

> Kaspersky described Naikon in a 2015 report as: 'The Naikon group is mostly active in countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, and Nepal, hitting a variety of targets in a very opportunistic way.'

## How does Naikon attack? Stage by stage

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 13 linked to Naikon. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 10 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

### 1. Research (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 2. Preparation (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 3. Getting in (2)

- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1566: Phishing

### 4. Running code (4)

- T1047: Windows Management Instrumentation
- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1204: User Execution
- T1574: Hijack Execution Flow

### 5. Staying in (4)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1137: Office Application Startup
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 6. Taking control (3)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 7. Hiding (3)

- T1036: Masquerading
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1574: Hijack Execution Flow

### 8. Disabling defences (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 9. Stealing passwords (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 10. Looking around (4)

- T1016: System Network Configuration Discovery
- T1018: Remote System Discovery
- T1046: Network Service Discovery
- T1518: Software Discovery

### 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 Naikon go after?

**Sectors:** Government, Private sector

**Countries and victims named:** India, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, China, Philippines, South Korea, United States, Indonesia, Laos

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

## Public reports about Naikon

- https://securelist.com/analysis/publications/69953/the-naikon-apt/
- https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2014/03/spear-phishing-the-news-cycle-apt-actors-leverage-interest-in-the-disappearance-of-malaysian-flight-mh-370.html
- https://media.kasperskycontenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2018/03/07205555/TheNaikonAPT-MsnMM1.pdf
- https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/naikon-targeted-attacks
- https://web.archive.org/web/20210925164035/https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/bkdr_rarstone-new-rat-to-watch-out-for/
- https://threatconnect.com/blog/tag/naikon/
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0019/
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/bronze-geneva
- https://cyware.com/news/chinese-naikon-group-back-with-new-espionage-attack-66a8413d
- https://cluster25.io/2022/04/29/lotus-panda-awake-last-strike/
- https://www.mandiant.com/resources/insights/apt-groups
- https://www.fireeye.com/content/dam/fireeye-www/summit/cds-2019/presentations/cds19-executive-s08-achievement-unlocked.pdf

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is Naikon?

Naikon is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 13 attack techniques, and to attacks on government and private sector organisations, with 14 countries and victims named.

### Where is Naikon thought to be based?

Public reporting places Naikon 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 Naikon target?

In public reporting, sectors named include government and private sector, and 14 countries and victims are named, including India, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Myanmar.

### How does Naikon attack?

Public reporting links Naikon to 13 attack techniques. Most of them are about running code, staying in and looking around.

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

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