Iron Taurus

Iron Taurus, also known as APT27, is a malware that has been linked to various cyber-espionage activities. This malicious software is designed to infiltrate systems surreptitiously through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites, and once inside, it can steal personal information, disrupt operations, or even hold data hostage for ransom. Iron Taurus is associated with Chinese nation-state threat actors and has been identified as part of a shared Chinese APT operational infrastructure, used in conjunction with other malwares such as Starchy Taurus (aka Winnti) and Stately Taurus (aka Mustang Panda). One notable operation involving Iron Taurus was Operation Iron Tiger, which was carried out in 2015. This operation was attributed to Iron Taurus according to reports by ERAI and Malpedia. During this operation, the malware was reportedly used to exploit vulnerabilities and gain unauthorized access to targeted systems. This shows the malware's capability to be utilized in large-scale, coordinated cyber attacks. The use of AspxSpy web shells was a significant aspect of Iron Taurus's methodology in Operation Iron Tiger. These web shells, which provide a hacker with remote control over a compromised system, were employed effectively by Iron Taurus. Experts have noted similarities between the AspxSpy web shells used by Iron Taurus and those employed by another malware, Gelsemium, indicating possible shared tactics or collaboration between different threat actors.