Judgment Panda

Judgment Panda, also known as APT31, Zirconium, Violet Typhoon, and Red Keres, is a threat actor believed to be linked to the Chinese nation-state. This group has been active since at least 2016 and has been involved in multiple cyber espionage operations. The group gained significant attention in 2022 when Check Point Research discovered its use of Jian, a tool cloned from the NSA Equation Group's "EpMe" hacking tool, years before it was leaked online by Shadow Brokers hackers. Based on similarities between recent campaigns and previously researched ones such as ExCone and DexCone, including the use of FourteenHi variants, specific Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), and the scope of the attack, there is medium to high confidence that Judgment Panda is behind these activities. Notably, this group has been identified as using a Python-compiled binary with capabilities for browser credential dumping, demonstrating its sophisticated technical abilities. Recently, Kaspersky Threat Intelligence has linked this threat actor to industrial attacks in Eastern Europe. The group's extensive history, advanced capabilities, and broad scope of attack indicate a significant threat to cybersecurity. As such, continuous monitoring and advanced defensive measures are crucial to mitigate the risk associated with Judgment Panda.