Aoqin Dragon
Aoqin Dragon is a threat actor associated in the provided content with spearphishing and user-execution-based intrusion activity. The group has lured victims into opening weaponized documents, fake external drives, and fake antivirus files to execute malicious payloads. It has been associated with UDL-file-based spearphishing attachment activity and with malicious file execution. The content states that Aoqin Dragon exploited CVE-2012-0158 and CVE-2010-3333 for execution against targeted systems, used the Themida packer to obfuscate malicious payloads, ran scripts to identify file formats including Microsoft Word, and conducted file and directory discovery. The group obtained the Heyoka open-source exfiltration tool and modified it for its operations. The content also associates Aoqin Dragon with removable-media-related activity, including replication through removable media and USB removable media attachment context. No additional aliases or nation-state attribution are directly stated in the provided content.
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Tradecraft
30 distinct techniques observed across reporting, grouped by tactic. Hover any cell for the evidence excerpt; click through for MITRE's full description.
Associated malware families
3 malware families attributed to this actor across reporting.
Associated vulnerabilities
3 CVEs this actor has used in observed campaigns. 3 of them exploited in the wild.
...has exploited CVE-2012-0158 and CVE-2010-3333 for execution against targeted systems.
...has exploited client software vulnerabilities for execution, such as Microsoft Word CVE-2012-0158...
This detection identifies instances where Windows Explorer.exe spawns PowerShell or cmd.exe processes, particularly focusing on executions initiated by LNK files. This behavior is associated with the ZDI-CAN-25373 Windows shortcut zero-day vulnerability, where specially crafted LNK files are used to trigger malicious code execution through cmd.exe or powershell.exe. This technique has been actively exploited by multiple APT groups in targeted attacks through both HTTP and SMB delivery methods.
Recent activity
20 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
Listed as a threat actor associated with the malicious file execution technique detected by this analytic.
Listed in the detection annotations as a threat actor associated with EFI volume mounting / installation-related behavior.
Referenced as a threat actor associated with spearphishing attachment activity involving malicious file execution and potential credential capture via UDL files.
Listed as a threat actor associated with the remote image load detection analytic; no actor-specific activity details are provided.
The version that knows your environment.
Match sector + geo + tech-stack targeting against your real footprint.
Every observed MITRE ATT&CK technique, grouped by tactic.
Families this actor is known to deploy, with IOCs and behavior.
CVEs this actor has used in known campaigns.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Domains, IPs, and hashes tied to this actor, refreshed continuously.