# Kimsuky: threat group profile

> Kimsuky is an espionage group thought to operate from North Korea, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 66 attack techniques, and to attacks on government and private sector organisations, with 4 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/kimsuky
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.edgeprotect.io/) > [Threat groups](https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors) > Kimsuky

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 66 (plus 62 sub-techniques) |
| Countries and victims named | 4 |
| Thought to operate from | North Korea |
| Suspected backing | North Korea |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 10 |
| Public reports | 19 |

## Who is Kimsuky?

Kimsuky is an espionage group thought to operate from North Korea, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 66 attack techniques, and to attacks on government and private sector organisations, with 4 countries and victims named.

### Also known as

Velvet Chollima, Black Banshee, Thallium, Operation Stolen Pencil, G0086, APT43, Emerald Sleet, THALLIUM, Springtail, Sparkling Pisces

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

### What public reporting says

> This threat actor targets South Korean think tanks, industry, nuclear power operators, and the Ministry of Unification for espionage purposes.

## How does Kimsuky attack? Stage by stage

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 66 linked to Kimsuky. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 62 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

### 1. Research (5)

- T1589: Gather Victim Identity Information
- T1591: Gather Victim Org Information
- T1593: Search Open Websites/Domains
- T1594: Search Victim-Owned Websites
- T1598: Phishing for Information

### 2. Preparation (7)

- T1583: Acquire Infrastructure
- T1584: Compromise Infrastructure
- T1585: Establish Accounts
- T1586: Compromise Accounts
- T1587: Develop Capabilities
- T1588: Obtain Capabilities
- T1608: Stage Capabilities

### 3. Getting in (4)

- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1133: External Remote Services
- T1190: Exploit Public-Facing Application
- T1566: Phishing

### 4. Running code (3)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter
- T1204: User Execution

### 5. Staying in (11)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1098: Account Manipulation
- T1112: Modify Registry
- T1133: External Remote Services
- T1136: Create Account
- T1176: Software Extensions
- T1505: Server Software Component
- T1543: Create or Modify System Process
- T1546: Event Triggered Execution
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 6. Taking control (7)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1055: Process Injection
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1098: Account Manipulation
- T1543: Create or Modify System Process
- T1546: Event Triggered Execution
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 7. Hiding (9)

- T1027: Obfuscated Files or Information
- T1036: Masquerading
- T1055: Process Injection
- T1070: Indicator Removal
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1140: Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information
- T1218: System Binary Proxy Execution
- T1564: Hide Artifacts
- T1620: Reflective Code Loading

### 8. Disabling defences (4)

- T1112: Modify Registry
- T1553: Subvert Trust Controls
- T1685: Disable or Modify Tools
- T1686: Disable or Modify System Firewall

### 9. Stealing passwords (7)

- T1003: OS Credential Dumping
- T1040: Network Sniffing
- T1056: Input Capture
- T1111: Multi-Factor Authentication Interception
- T1552: Unsecured Credentials
- T1555: Credentials from Password Stores
- T1557: Adversary-in-the-Middle

### 10. Looking around (8)

- T1007: System Service Discovery
- T1012: Query Registry
- T1016: System Network Configuration Discovery
- T1040: Network Sniffing
- T1057: Process Discovery
- T1082: System Information Discovery
- T1083: File and Directory Discovery
- T1518: Software Discovery

### 11. Spreading (3)

- T1021: Remote Services
- T1534: Internal Spearphishing
- T1550: Use Alternate Authentication Material

### 12. Gathering data (6)

- T1005: Data from Local System
- T1056: Input Capture
- T1074: Data Staged
- T1114: Email Collection
- T1557: Adversary-in-the-Middle
- T1560: Archive Collected Data

### 13. Keeping contact (4)

- T1071: Application Layer Protocol
- T1102: Web Service
- T1105: Ingress Tool Transfer
- T1219: Remote Access Tools

### 14. Taking data out (2)

- T1041: Exfiltration Over C2 Channel
- T1567: Exfiltration Over Web Service

### 15. Causing damage (1)

- T1657: Financial Theft

## Who does Kimsuky go after?

**Sectors:** Government, Private sector

**Countries and victims named:** Ministry of Unification, Sejong Institute, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, Germany

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

## Public reports about Kimsuky

- https://securelist.com/the-kimsuky-operation-a-north-korean-apt/57915/
- https://www.cfr.org/interactive/cyber-operations/kimsuky
- https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/cyber-security-data-privacy/research/tracking-kimsuky-north-korea-based-cyber-espionage-group-part-2.html
- https://youtu.be/hAsKp43AZmM?t=1027
- https://www.bloomberglaw.com/document/public/subdoc/X67FPNDOUBV9VOPS35A4864BFIU?imagename=1
- https://www.netscout.com/blog/asert/stolen-pencil-campaign-targets-academia
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/new-babyshark-malware-targets-u-s-national-security-think-tanks/
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0086/
- https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa20-301a
- https://www.cybereason.com/blog/back-to-the-future-inside-the-kimsuky-kgh-spyware-suite
- https://mandiant.widen.net/s/zvmfw5fnjs/apt43-report
- https://asec.ahnlab.com/en/57873/
- https://asec.ahnlab.com/en/61082/
- https://www.rewterz.com/rewterz-news/rewterz-threat-alert-north-korean-apt-kimsuky-aka-black-banshee-active-iocs-29/
- https://www.sentinelone.com/labs/a-glimpse-into-future-scarcruft-campaigns-attackers-gather-strategic-intelligence-and-target-cybersecurity-professionals/
- https://www.bsi.bund.de/DE/Themen/Unternehmen-und-Organisationen/Cyber-Sicherheitslage/Analysen-und-Prognosen/Threat-Intelligence/Aktive_APT-Gruppen/aktive-apt-gruppen_node.html
- https://ctoatncsc.substack.com/p/cto-at-ncsc-summary-week-ending-may-16b
- https://symantec-enterprise-blogs.security.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/springtail-kimsuky-backdoor-espionage
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/kimsuky-new-keylogger-backdoor-variant/

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is Kimsuky?

Kimsuky is an espionage group thought to operate from North Korea, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 66 attack techniques, and to attacks on government and private sector organisations, with 4 countries and victims named.

### Where is Kimsuky thought to be based?

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

### Who does Kimsuky target?

In public reporting, sectors named include government and private sector, and 4 countries and victims are named, including Ministry of Unification, Sejong Institute, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses and Germany.

### How does Kimsuky attack?

Public reporting links Kimsuky to 66 attack techniques. Most of them are about staying in, hiding and looking around.

### How do I know if Kimsuky is a risk to my business?

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