# TA505: threat group profile

> TA505 is a threat group thought to operate from Russia. Public reporting links it to 24 attack techniques, and to attacks on education, finance and health organisations, with 16 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/ta505
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/) > [Threat groups](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/threat-actors) > TA505

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 24 (plus 27 sub-techniques) |
| Countries and victims named | 16 |
| Thought to operate from | Russia |
| Other names | 10 |
| Public reports | 19 |

## Who is TA505?

TA505 is a threat group thought to operate from Russia. Public reporting links it to 24 attack techniques, and to attacks on education, finance and health organisations, with 16 countries and victims named.

### Also known as

SectorJ04, SectorJ04 Group, GRACEFUL SPIDER, GOLD TAHOE, Dudear, G0092, ATK103, Hive0065, CHIMBORAZO, Spandex Tempest

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

### What public reporting says

> TA505, the name given by Proofpoint, has been in the cybercrime business for at least four years. This is the group behind the infamous Dridex banking trojan and Locky ransomware, delivered through malicious email campaigns via Necurs botnet. Other malware associated with TA505 include Philadelphia and GlobeImposter ransomware families.

## How does TA505 attack? Stage by stage

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 24 linked to TA505. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 27 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

### 1. Research (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 2. Preparation (3)

- T1583: Acquire Infrastructure
- T1588: Obtain Capabilities
- T1608: Stage Capabilities

### 3. Getting in (2)

- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1566: Phishing

### 4. Running code (4)

- T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter
- T1106: Native API
- T1204: User Execution
- T1559: Inter-Process Communication

### 5. Staying in (2)

- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1112: Modify Registry

### 6. Taking control (2)

- T1055: Process Injection
- T1078: Valid Accounts

### 7. Hiding (5)

- T1027: Obfuscated Files or Information
- T1055: Process Injection
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1140: Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information
- T1218: System Binary Proxy Execution

### 8. Disabling defences (3)

- T1112: Modify Registry
- T1553: Subvert Trust Controls
- T1685: Disable or Modify Tools

### 9. Stealing passwords (2)

- T1552: Unsecured Credentials
- T1555: Credentials from Password Stores

### 10. Looking around (2)

- T1069: Permission Groups Discovery
- T1087: Account Discovery

### 11. Spreading (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 12. Gathering data (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 13. Keeping contact (3)

- T1071: Application Layer Protocol
- T1105: Ingress Tool Transfer
- T1568: Dynamic Resolution

### 14. Taking data out (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 15. Causing damage (1)

- T1486: Data Encrypted for Impact

## Who does TA505 go after?

**Sectors:** Education, Finance, Health, Retail, Hospitality

**Countries and victims named:** Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

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

## Public reports about TA505

- https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ta505-group-adopts-new-servhelper-backdoor-and-flawedgrace-rat/
- https://www.proofpoint.com/sites/default/files/ta505_timeline_final4_0.png
- https://www.proofpoint.com/us/threat-insight/post/threat-actor-profile-ta505-dridex-globeimposter
- https://www.cybereason.com/blog/threat-actor-ta505-targets-financial-enterprises-using-lolbins-and-a-new-backdoor-malware
- https://e.cyberint.com/hubfs/Report%20Legit%20Remote%20Access%20Tools%20Turn%20Into%20Threat%20Actors%20Tools/CyberInt_Legit%20Remote%20Access%20Tools%20Turn%20Into%20Threat%20Actors'%20Tools_Report.pdf
- https://threatpost.com/ta505-servhelper-malware/140792/
- https://blog.yoroi.company/research/the-stealthy-email-stealer-in-the-ta505-arsenal/
- https://threatrecon.nshc.net/2019/08/29/sectorj04-groups-increased-activity-in-2019/
- https://www.proofpoint.com/us/threat-insight/post/ta505-distributes-new-sdbbot-remote-access-trojan-get2-downloader
- https://www.blueliv.com/cyber-security-and-cyber-threat-intelligence-blog-blueliv/research/servhelper-evolution-and-new-ta505-campaigns/
- https://www.telekom.com/en/blog/group/article/cybersecurity-ta505-s-box-of-chocolate-597672
- https://www.telekom.com/en/blog/group/article/cybersecurity-ta505-returns-with-a-new-bag-of-tricks-602104
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/gold-tahoe
- https://www.telekom.com/en/blog/group/article/eager-beaver-a-short-overview-of-the-restless-threat-actor-ta505-609546
- https://blog.fox-it.com/2020/11/16/ta505-a-brief-history-of-their-time/
- https://www.secureworks.com/blog/how-cyber-adversaries-are-adapting-to-exploit-the-global-pandemic
- https://cyberthreat.thalesgroup.com/attackers/ATK103
- https://securityintelligence.com/posts/ta505-continues-to-infect-networks-with-sdbbot-rat/
- https://www.tenable.com/blog/cve-2020-1472-advanced-persistent-threat-actors-use-zerologon-vulnerability-in-exploit-chain

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is TA505?

TA505 is a threat group thought to operate from Russia. Public reporting links it to 24 attack techniques, and to attacks on education, finance and health organisations, with 16 countries and victims named.

### Where is TA505 thought to be based?

Public reporting places TA505 as operating from Russia. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

### Who does TA505 target?

In public reporting, sectors named include education, finance, health, retail and hospitality, and 16 countries and victims are named, including Australia, Canada, Czech Republic and Germany.

### How does TA505 attack?

Public reporting links TA505 to 24 attack techniques. Most of them are about hiding, running code and preparation.

### How do I know if TA505 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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