Stone Panda

Stone Panda, also known as APT10 and MenuPass, is a threat actor that has been linked to the Chinese government by researchers from NHS Digital in the UK. The group has developed Trochilus, an advanced persistent threat tool, and is believed to be behind recent espionage efforts against US companies lobbying the Trump administration on global trade. The group's extensive targeting of various sectors, notably Japanese defense firms, has raised concerns within the cybersecurity community. There are significant intelligence gaps that prevent Falcon Intelligence from confidently assessing Stone Panda's potential connections to the MSS Tianjin Bureau, an entity of the Chinese government. Despite the group's extensive activities against Japanese defense firms following a certain time period, there is no conclusive evidence that firmly links the firm to Stone Panda. This lack of definitive information adds complexity to understanding the full scope of Stone Panda's operations and affiliations. The exposure of Stone Panda as an MSS contractor could significantly impact China’s current cyber operations due to the group's prolific activities across different sectors. Such a revelation may trigger additional U.S. investigations, potentially straining Sino-U.S. relations during an ongoing trade war. Given the limited public information about the APT campaign called MenuPass, further research and investigation are needed to fully understand Stone Panda's capabilities, intentions, and connections.