Sign inStart freeBook a demo

APT16 threat group

APT16 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 1 attack technique, and to attacks on private sector organisations, with 2 countries and victims named. This free profile shows how it works and who it targets, so you can judge the risk to you.

Start free →Book a demo
ShareXLinkedIn
Attack techniques
1
Countries and victims named
2
Thought to operate from
China
Suspected backing
China
Motive
Espionage
Other names
2
Built from public reporting, with every source listed below.
Overview

Who is APT16?

APT16 has 2 other names in security research. Below is what published reporting says about it, with a link to every report so you can check the detail yourself.

Also known as

SVCMONDRG0023

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

What public reporting says

Between November 26, 2015, and December 1, 2015, known and suspected China-based APT groups launched several spear-phishing attacks targeting Japanese and Taiwanese organizations in the high-tech, government services, media and financial services industries. Each campaign delivered a malicious Microsoft Word document exploiting the aforementioned EPS dict copy use-after-free vulnerability, and the local Windows privilege escalation vulnerability CVE-2015-1701. The successful exploitation of both vulnerabilities led to the delivery of either a downloader that we refer to as IRONHALO, or a backdoor that we refer to as ELMER.

Public reports about APT16 (5)

How it works

How does APT16 attack? Stage by stage.

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 1 linked to APT16, laid out from first look to final blow. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Pick a stage to see them. Public reporting also lists 1 more specific variation of them, called sub-techniques.

Stage 2 of 15

Preparation

Setting up accounts, servers and tools to use in the attack.

1 technique
  • T1584Compromise Infrastructure
Targets

Who does APT16 go after?

The sectors and places named in public reporting about this group. If yours is on the list, it is worth knowing how they work and which flaws they use.

Sectors (1)

Private sector
See threats by industry →

Countries and victims named (2)

  1. 01Japan
  2. 02Taiwan
Free account

Is APT16 a risk to you?

A public profile tells you who a group is. Your account tells you whether it matters to you: we match the software you run to the flaws threat groups use, and we keep watching, so you hear about anything that affects you as soon as we know.

  • Over 900 group profiles in the app, every claim backed by a quote and a source link.
  • Your sector at a glance: which threat groups and ransomware gangs are hitting it.
  • Flaws in the software you run, ranked 0 to 100, with threat group activity counted in.
  • A PDF dossier on any group, ready to send to your board or your IT provider.
Start free →Book a demo
FAQ

Questions about APT16

Something else? Talk to the team →

APT16 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 1 attack technique, and to attacks on private sector organisations, with 2 countries and victims named.

Public reporting places APT16 as operating from China, with suspected state backing. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

In public reporting, sectors named include private sector, and 2 countries and victims are named, including Japan and Taiwan.

Public reporting links APT16 to 1 attack techniques. Most of them are about preparing tools and infrastructure.

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.

Get started

Find out what groups like this could use against you.

Create a free account and tell us the software you run. We match the software you run against flaws threat groups use, rank them 0 to 100 and keep watching, so you hear about it as soon as we know.

Start free →Book a demo

No card neededNothing to installIntelligence and alerts free