# DarkHotel: threat group profile

> DarkHotel is an espionage group thought to operate from South Korea, with suspected state backing. 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.

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

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 0 |
| Countries and victims named | 5 |
| Thought to operate from | South Korea |
| Suspected backing | South Korea |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 16 |
| Public reports | 11 |

## Who is DarkHotel?

DarkHotel is an espionage group thought to operate from South Korea, with suspected state backing. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Also known as

DUBNIUM, Fallout Team, Karba, Luder, Nemim, Nemin, Tapaoux, Pioneer, Shadow Crane, APT-C-06, SIG25, TUNGSTEN BRIDGE, T-APT-02, G0012, ATK52, Zigzag Hail

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

### What public reporting says

> Kaspersky described DarkHotel in a 2014 report as: '... DarkHotel drives its campaigns by spear-phishing targets with highly advanced Flash zero-day exploits that effectively evade the latest Windows and Adobe defenses, and yet they also imprecisely spread among large numbers of vague targets with peer-to-peer spreading tactics. Moreover, this crews most unusual characteristic is that for several years the Darkhotel APT has maintained a capability to use hotel networks to follow and hit selected targets as they travel around the world.'

## Who does DarkHotel go after?

**Sectors:** Private sector

**Countries and victims named:** Japan, Russia, Taiwan, South Korea, China

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

## Public reports about DarkHotel

- https://securelist.com/blog/research/71713/darkhotels-attacks-in-2015/
- https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/mmpc/2016/06/09/reverse-engineering-dubnium-2
- https://securelist.com/blog/research/66779/the-darkhotel-apt/
- https://securelist.com/the-darkhotel-apt/66779/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20160104165148/http://drops.wooyun.org/tips/11726
- https://labs.bitdefender.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/inexsmar-an-unusual-darkhotel-campaign/
- https://www.cfr.org/interactive/cyber-operations/darkhotel
- https://www.securityweek.com/darkhotel-apt-uses-new-methods-target-politicians
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0012/
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/tungsten-bridge
- https://www.antiy.cn/research/notice&report/research_report/20200522.html

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is DarkHotel?

DarkHotel is an espionage group thought to operate from South Korea, with suspected state backing. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Where is DarkHotel thought to be based?

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

### Who does DarkHotel target?

In public reporting, sectors named include private sector, and 5 countries and victims are named, including Japan, Russia, Taiwan and South Korea.

### How do I know if DarkHotel 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

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