Chinese APT Mustang Panda Debuts 4 New Attack Tools www.darkreading.com/cloud-sec…

One of China’s major state-funded espionage groups has created or otherwise upgraded various malware programs, signaling a notable arsenal refresh that defenders need to be aware of. Mustang Panda (aka Bronze President, Stately Taurus, and TA416) is an advanced persistent threat (APT) believed to be sponsored by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It has long been known for spying on targets of interest to the PRC, including: military and government organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks, minority groups, and corporations in major industries, primarily around East and Southeast Asia but also in the West. Recently, the group attacked an organization based in Myanmar. In the process, researchers from Zscaler uncovered four previously unknown attack tools the group is now using. They include two keyloggers, a tool for facilitating lateral movement, and a driver used to evade endpoint detection and response (EDR) software. Besides that, the group has also upgraded its signature backdoor, “Toneshell.”