GINC-APT-0416 · Targeted, sponsor unknown

LIMINAL PANDA

Also Pepper Typhoon, CL-STA-0969.

Category
Targeted, sponsor unknown · Targeted intrusions with no sponsor attributed.
Origin
China(high confidence)
Sources
5 sources carry it
Identifier
GINC-APT-0416 · liminal-panda

What it is

LIMINAL PANDA is a China-nexus APT that targets telecommunications entities, employing custom malware and publicly available tools for covert access, C2, and data exfiltration. The adversary demonstrates extensive knowledge of telecom networks, utilizing GSM protocols to retrieve mobile subscriber information and call metadata. LIMINAL PANDA exploits trust relationships and security gaps between providers to access core infrastructure, indicating a focus on SIGINT collection rather than financial gain. Their intrusion activity has primarily affected telecom providers in southern Asia and Africa, with potential for broader targeting based on network configurations.

Names

The names each vendor, agency and source gives it. Naming differs by who tracks the actor, so one group carries many.

Microsoft
Pepper Typhoon
Other names
CL-STA-0969

Attribution

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

Tools

The tools and malware families the sources tie to it.

  • China Chopper
  • MobileOrder
  • SHIPSHAPE
  • Xploit

Sources

  • Malpedia malpedia.caad.fkie.fraunhofer.de