Taiwanese government-affiliated research institute

APT41, a China-linked cyber threat group, compromised a Taiwanese government-affiliated research institute employing sophisticated tools like ShadowPad and Cobalt Strike. The attack involved exploiting vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office to initiate payload delivery, followed by document exfiltration, persistent access through web shells, and sophisticated evasion techniques. The institute suffered a breach of security systems resulting in the leakage of sensitive documents, possibly impacting governmental operations and data security. This incident has emphasized the need for robust cybersecurity measures within institutions that are integral to national infrastructure.

Source: https://securityaffairs.com/166562/breaking-news/apt41-breached-taiwanese-gov-research-institute.html

TPRM report: https://scoringcyber.rankiteo.com/company/cisco-talos-intelligence-group

"id": "cis005080624",
"linkid": "cisco-talos-intelligence-group",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "8/2024",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Research',
                        'location': 'Taiwan',
                        'name': 'Taiwanese Government-Affiliated Research '
                                'Institute',
                        'type': 'Government'}],
 'attack_vector': ['Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office', 'Web Shells'],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': 'Sensitive Documents'},
 'description': 'APT41, a China-linked cyber threat group, compromised a '
                'Taiwanese government-affiliated research institute employing '
                'sophisticated tools like ShadowPad and Cobalt Strike. The '
                'attack involved exploiting vulnerabilities in Microsoft '
                'Office to initiate payload delivery, followed by document '
                'exfiltration, persistent access through web shells, and '
                'sophisticated evasion techniques. The institute suffered a '
                'breach of security systems resulting in the leakage of '
                'sensitive documents, possibly impacting governmental '
                'operations and data security. This incident has emphasized '
                'the need for robust cybersecurity measures within '
                'institutions that are integral to national infrastructure.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Sensitive Documents'],
            'operational_impact': 'Possible impact on governmental operations '
                                  'and data security',
            'systems_affected': ['Security Systems']},
 'initial_access_broker': {'backdoors_established': 'Web Shells',
                           'entry_point': 'Microsoft Office Vulnerabilities',
                           'high_value_targets': 'Sensitive Documents'},
 'lessons_learned': 'Need for robust cybersecurity measures within '
                    'institutions that are integral to national infrastructure',
 'motivation': 'Cyber Espionage',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Exploiting vulnerabilities in '
                                           'Microsoft Office'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Cyber Incident Description'}],
 'threat_actor': 'APT41',
 'title': 'APT41 Compromise of Taiwanese Government-Affiliated Research '
          'Institute',
 'type': 'Cyber Espionage',
 'vulnerability_exploited': 'Microsoft Office Vulnerabilities'}