The People’s Republic of China (PRC)-linked advanced persistent threat (APT) group “APT31” reportedly cloned and deployed a zero-day exploit developed by the US National Security Agency's (NSA) Equation Group in 2013. APT31 accessed two versions of Equation Group’s “EpMe” files, which they repurposed into the zero-day exploit “Jian”. Jian was deployed from 2015 until the vulnerability it exploited (CVE-2017-2005) was patched in 2017. The is the second reported incident of a PRC-linked APT targeting the NSA to repurpose cyber tools. This raises questions about how the NSA's prized offensive tools have been discovered or stolen by nation-state threat actors. With the theft of NSA cyber tools back in the spotlight, it is realistically possible APT31’s actions will have national security implications, compelling government agencies to reconsider how zero-day exploits should be managed under the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP).
Most Recent Flipbooks
Weekly Intelligence Summary 27th August
The well-established “Mozi” peer-to-peer (P2P) botnet has developed new persistence capabilities.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 20th August
A configurable, malicious Traffic Direction System (TDS) has been enabling widespread malware attacks.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 13th August
A years-long reconnaissance campaign against an employee of a US aerospace defense company was discovered and attributed to “TA456”, an Iranian state-backed advanced persistent threat (APT) group.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 6th August
The new “BlackMatter”, “Haron”, and “El_Cometa” ransomware groups, which surfaced in the past three weeks, bear significant similarities to ransomware groups that disappeared last month
Weekly Intelligence Summary 9th July
A vulnerability in Kaseya’s virtual system/server administrator (VSA) software has been exploited to deliver the “REvil” ransomware to multiple managed service providers.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 2nd July 2021
The 14th Five Year Plan (FYP) adopted by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in March 2021 has laid out key areas of focus for the country that are likely to prompt nation-state cyber espionage.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 25 June
Several Clop members were arrested in association with money laundering, and the officials seized infrastructure the group has used in ransomware attacks globally.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 11 June
The notorious Russia-based ransomware group “REvil” (aka Sodinokibi) has been blamed for the latest high-profile ransomware attack, on the world’s largest meat supplier.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 04 June
The latest work of the notorious Russian state-associated “NOBELIUM” threat group is an email phishing campaign against multiple countries and sectors.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 28 May
US President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order (EO) aimed at strengthening network security for US federal government departments, and agencies and contractors working with them.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 21 May
A “Conti” ransomware attack on Ireland’s healthcare system, the Health Service Executive (HSE), significantly delayed the delivery of medical laboratory results and affected many outpatient services.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 14 May
Colonial Pipeline Company fell victim to a cyber attack that resulted in 5,500 miles of its US fuel pipelines being shut down, causing public distress and fears of fuel shortages.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 07 May
Security researchers discovered two unrelated cyber-threat campaigns targeting Microsoft SharePoint.
