# UTA0178: threat group profile

> UTA0178 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/uta0178
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.edgeprotect.io/) > [Threat groups](https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors) > UTA0178

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 0 |
| Countries and victims named | 1 |
| Thought to operate from | China |
| Other names | 2 |
| Public reports | 8 |

## Who is UTA0178?

UTA0178 is a threat group thought to operate from China. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Also known as

UNC5221, Red Dev 61

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

### What public reporting says

> While Volexity largely observed the attacker essentially living off the land, they still deployed a handful of malware files and tools during the course of the incident which primarily consisted of webshells, proxy utilities, and file modifications to allow credential harvesting. Once UTA0178 had access into the network via the ICS VPN appliance, their general approach was to pivot from system to system using compromised credentials. They would then further compromise credentials of users on any new system that was breached, and use these credentials to log into additional systems via RDP. Volexity observed the attacker obtaining credentials in a variety of ways.

## Who does UTA0178 go after?

**Countries and victims named:** Germany

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

## Public reports about UTA0178

- https://www.volexity.com/blog/2024/01/10/active-exploitation-of-two-zero-day-vulnerabilities-in-ivanti-connect-secure-vpn/
- https://www.rewterz.com/rewterz-news/rewterz-threat-advisory-ivanti-vpn-zero-days-weaponized-by-unc5221-threat-actors-to-deploy-multiple-malware-families-active-iocs/
- https://www.mandiant.com/resources/blog/suspected-apt-targets-ivanti-zero-day
- https://quointelligence.eu/2024/01/unc5221-unreported-and-undetected-wirefire-web-shell-variant/
- https://www.volexity.com/blog/2024/01/18/ivanti-connect-secure-vpn-exploitation-new-observations/
- https://www.mandiant.com/resources/blog/investigating-ivanti-zero-day-exploitation
- 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://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/ivanti-post-exploitation-lateral-movement

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is UTA0178?

UTA0178 is a threat group thought to operate from China. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Where is UTA0178 thought to be based?

Public reporting places UTA0178 as operating from China. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

### Who does UTA0178 target?

In public reporting, 1 countries and victims are named, including Germany.

### How do I know if UTA0178 is a risk to my business?

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