# APT23: threat group profile

> APT23 is a threat group thought to operate from China. Public reporting about it is still limited. This free profile brings together what is known about it, so you can judge the risk to you. It lists the other names the group goes by and links to every public report behind it.

Canonical page: https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors/apt23
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.edgeprotect.io/) > [Threat groups](https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors) > APT23

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 0 |
| Thought to operate from | China |
| Other names | 7 |
| Public reports | 13 |

## Who is APT23?

APT23 is a threat group thought to operate from China. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Also known as

PIRATE PANDA, KeyBoy, Tropic Trooper, BRONZE HOBART, G0081, Red Orthrus, Earth Centaur

Security companies each give the same group their own name, so one group can have many.

### What public reporting says

> TrendMicro described Tropic Trooper in a 2015 report as: 'Taiwan and the Philippines have become the targets of an ongoing campaign called Operation TropicTrooper. Active since 2012, the attackers behind the campaign haveset their sights on the Taiwanese government as well as a number of companies in the heavy industry. The same campaign has also targeted key Philippine military agencies.'

## Public reports about APT23

- https://blog.rapid7.com/2013/06/07/keyboy-targeted-attacks-against-vietnam-and-india/
- http://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/rhetoric-foreshadows-cyber-activity-in-the-south-china-sea/
- https://go.crowdstrike.com/rs/281-OBQ-266/images/Report2020CrowdStrikeGlobalThreatReport.pdf
- http://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2016/11/unit42-tropic-trooper-targets-taiwanese-government-and-fossil-fuel-provider-with-poison-ivy/
- http://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/white-papers/wp-operation-tropic-trooper.pdf
- https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/tropic-trooper-new-strategy/
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42-tropic-trooper-targets-taiwanese-government-and-fossil-fuel-provider-with-poison-ivy/
- https://blog.lookout.com/titan-mobile-threat
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0081/
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/bronze-hobart
- https://www.mandiant.com/resources/insights/apt-groups
- https://www.pwc.co.uk/cyber-security/pdf/pwc-cyber-threats-2020-a-year-in-retrospect.pdf
- https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/21/l/collecting-in-the-dark-tropic-trooper-targets-transportation-and-government-organizations.html

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is APT23?

APT23 is a threat group thought to operate from China. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Where is APT23 thought to be based?

Public reporting places APT23 as operating from China. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

### How do I know if APT23 is a risk to my business?

Create an account and tell us the software you run. We match it against known flaws, including those linked to threat groups, rank each one from 0 to 100 and tell you as soon as we spot something that affects you.

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