# Sea Turtle: threat group profile

> Sea Turtle is a threat group thought to operate from Turkey. 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/sea-turtle
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.edgeprotect.io/) > [Threat groups](https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors) > Sea Turtle

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 0 |
| Countries and victims named | 1 |
| Thought to operate from | Turkey |
| Other names | 5 |
| Public reports | 15 |

## Who is Sea Turtle?

Sea Turtle is a threat group thought to operate from Turkey. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Also known as

COSMIC WOLF, Marbled Dust, SILICON, Teal Kurma, UNC1326

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

### What public reporting says

> This blog post discusses the technical details of a state-sponsored attack manipulating DNS systems. While this incident is limited to targeting primarily national security organizations in the Middle East and North Africa, and we do not want to overstate the consequences of this specific campaign, we are concerned that the success of this operation will lead to actors more broadly attacking the global DNS system. DNS is a foundational technology supporting the Internet. Manipulating that system has the potential to undermine the trust users have on the internet. That trust and the stability of the DNS system as a whole drives the global economy. Responsible nations should avoid targeting this system, work together to establish an accepted global norm that this system and the organizations that control it are off-limits, and cooperate in pursuing those actors who act irresponsibly by targeting this system.

## Who does Sea Turtle go after?

**Countries and victims named:** Germany

See threats by industry: https://www.edgeprotect.io/industries

## Public reports about Sea Turtle

- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2019/04/seaturtle.html
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/sea-turtle-keeps-on-swimming
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-attack-hijack-exclusive/exclusive-hackers-acting-in-turkeys-interests-believed-to-be-behind-recent-cyberattacks-sources-idUSKBN1ZQ10X
- https://icann.zoom.us/recording/play/AhQB4AQyjCuEJGz2wQQans0Xqkz3su8swGLQoORJhdECw9ttz0TbuyzBlue85gIY
- https://community.icann.org/download/attachments/109483867/Cybersecurity%20and%20the%20ICANN%20Ecosystem.pdf
- https://www.pwc.co.uk/cyber-security/assets/cyber-threats-2019-retrospect.pdf
- https://www.pwc.co.uk/cyber-security/pdf/pwc-cyber-threats-2020-a-year-in-retrospect.pdf
- https://www.domaintools.com/resources/blog/finding-additional-indicators-with-passive-dns-within-domaintools-iris
- https://go.crowdstrike.com/rs/281-OBQ-266/images/Report2022GTR.pdf
- https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RWMFIi?id=101738
- https://threatintel.eu/2020/02/25/on-sea-turtle-campaign-targeting-greek-governmental-organisations-timeline
- https://www.mandiant.com/resources/blog/global-dns-hijacking-campaign-dns-record-manipulation-at-scale
- https://www.virusbulletin.com/uploads/pdf/magazine/2019/VB2019-Mercer-Rascagneres.pdf
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws1k44ZhJ3g
- https://www.bsi.bund.de/DE/Themen/Unternehmen-und-Organisationen/Cyber-Sicherheitslage/Analysen-und-Prognosen/Threat-Intelligence/Aktive_APT-Gruppen/aktive-apt-gruppen_node.html

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is Sea Turtle?

Sea Turtle is a threat group thought to operate from Turkey. Public reporting about it is still limited.

### Where is Sea Turtle thought to be based?

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

### Who does Sea Turtle target?

In public reporting, 1 countries and victims are named, including Germany.

### How do I know if Sea Turtle 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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