GINC-APT-0296 · State

Earth Wendigo

Category
State · Attributed to a state or working for one.
Origin
China(high confidence)
Motivation
Information theft and espionage
Seen
2019
Sources
6 sources carry it
Identifier
GINC-APT-0296 · earth-wendigo

What it is

Earth Wendigo is a threat actor from China that has been targeting several organizations — including government organizations, research institutions, and universities in Taiwan — since May 2019, aiming to exfiltrate emails from targeted organizations via the injection of JavaScript backdoors to a webmail system that is widely used in Taiwan. The threat actor also sent spear-phishing emails embedded with malicious links to multiple individuals, including politicians and activists, who support movements in Tibet, the Uyghur region, or Hong Kong.

Attribution

Each attribution is a claim: who makes it, and to whom. Western and Eastern sources are kept apart, as they often disagree.

Targets

Countries
Hong Kong, Taiwan
Sectors
Education, Government

Tools

The tools and malware families the sources tie to it.

  • Backdoor.Oldrea
  • China Chopper
  • Cobalt Strike

Sources