# APT6: threat group profile

> APT6 is a threat group thought to operate from China. 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. It lists the other names the group goes by and links to every public report behind it.

Canonical page: https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors/apt6
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.edgeprotect.io/) > [Threat groups](https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors) > APT6

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 0 |
| Thought to operate from | China |
| Other names | 1 |
| Public reports | 1 |

## Who is APT6?

APT6 is a threat group thought to operate from China. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Also known as

1.php Group

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

### What public reporting says

> The FBI issued a rare bulletin admitting that a group named Advanced Persistent Threat 6 (APT6) hacked into US government computer systems as far back as 2011 and for years stole sensitive data. The FBI alert was issued in February and went largely unnoticed. Nearly a month later, security experts are now shining a bright light on the alert and the mysterious group behind the attack. “This is a rare alert and a little late, but one that is welcomed by all security vendors as it offers a chance to mitigate their customers and also collaborate further in what appears to be an ongoing FBI investigation,” said Deepen Desai, director of security research at the security firm Zscaler in an email to Threatpost. Details regarding the actual attack and what government systems were infected are scant. Government officials said they knew the initial attack occurred in 2011, but are unaware of who specifically is behind the attacks. “Given the nature of malware payload involved and the duration of this compromise being unnoticed – the scope of lateral movement inside the compromised network is very high possibly exposing all the critical systems,”Deepen said.

## Public reports about APT6

- https://threatpost.com/fbi-quietly-admits-to-multi-year-apt-attack-sensitive-data-stolen/117267/

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is APT6?

APT6 is a threat group thought to operate from China. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Where is APT6 thought to be based?

Public reporting places APT6 as operating from China. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

### How do I know if APT6 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.

## Check whether it matters to your business

A free EdgeProtect account (no card needed) matches the software you run against known flaws, including those linked to threat groups, ranks each one from 0 to 100 and tells you as soon as we spot something that affects you. It also shows which threat groups and ransomware gangs are hitting your sector, with profiles of over 900 groups and a PDF dossier for each.

- Start free: https://www.edgeprotect.io/register
- Book a demo: https://www.edgeprotect.io/contact