# APT3: threat group profile

> APT3 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 40 attack techniques, and to attacks on private sector organisations, with 3 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.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors/apt3
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.edgeprotect.io/) > [Threat groups](https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors) > APT3

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 40 (plus 29 sub-techniques) |
| Countries and victims named | 3 |
| Thought to operate from | China |
| Suspected backing | China |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 9 |
| Public reports | 6 |

## Who is APT3?

APT3 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 40 attack techniques, and to attacks on private sector organisations, with 3 countries and victims named.

### Also known as

GOTHIC PANDA, TG-0110, Group 6, UPS, Buckeye, Boyusec, BORON, BRONZE MAYFAIR, Red Sylvan

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

### What public reporting says

> Symantec described UPS in  2016 report as: 'Buckeye (also known as APT3, Gothic Panda, UPS Team, and TG-0110) is a cyberespionage group that is believed to have been operating for well over half a decade. Traditionally, the group attacked organizations in the US as well as other targets. However, Buckeyes focus appears to have changed as of June 2015, when the group began compromising political entities in Hong Kong.'

## How does APT3 attack? Stage by stage

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 40 linked to APT3. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 29 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 (5)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter
- T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution
- T1204: User Execution
- T1574: Hijack Execution Flow

### 5. Staying in (7)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1098: Account Manipulation
- T1136: Create Account
- T1543: Create or Modify System Process
- T1546: Event Triggered Execution
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 6. Taking control (6)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1098: Account Manipulation
- T1543: Create or Modify System Process
- T1546: Event Triggered Execution
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 7. Hiding (7)

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

### 8. Disabling defences (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 9. Stealing passwords (5)

- T1003: OS Credential Dumping
- T1056: Input Capture
- T1110: Brute Force
- T1552: Unsecured Credentials
- T1555: Credentials from Password Stores

### 10. Looking around (9)

- T1016: System Network Configuration Discovery
- T1018: Remote System Discovery
- T1033: System Owner/User Discovery
- T1049: System Network Connections Discovery
- T1057: Process Discovery
- T1069: Permission Groups Discovery
- T1082: System Information Discovery
- T1083: File and Directory Discovery
- T1087: Account Discovery

### 11. Spreading (1)

- T1021: Remote Services

### 12. Gathering data (4)

- T1005: Data from Local System
- T1056: Input Capture
- T1074: Data Staged
- T1560: Archive Collected Data

### 13. Keeping contact (4)

- T1090: Proxy
- T1095: Non-Application Layer Protocol
- T1104: Multi-Stage Channels
- T1105: Ingress Tool Transfer

### 14. Taking data out (1)

- T1041: Exfiltration Over C2 Channel

### 15. Causing damage (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

## Who does APT3 go after?

**Sectors:** Private sector

**Countries and victims named:** United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong

See threats by industry: https://www.edgeprotect.io/industries

## Public reports about APT3

- https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2015/06/operation-clandestine-wolf-adobe-flash-zero-day.html
- https://web.archive.org/web/20160910124439/http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/buckeye-cyberespionage-group-shifts-gaze-us-hong-kong
- https://www.cfr.org/interactive/cyber-operations/apt-3
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/bronze-mayfair
- 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 APT3?

APT3 is an espionage group thought to operate from China, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 40 attack techniques, and to attacks on private sector organisations, with 3 countries and victims named.

### Where is APT3 thought to be based?

Public reporting places APT3 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 APT3 target?

In public reporting, sectors named include private sector, and 3 countries and victims are named, including United States, United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

### How does APT3 attack?

Public reporting links APT3 to 40 attack techniques. Most of them are about looking around, staying in and hiding.

### How do I know if APT3 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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