APT21

Aliases: HAMMER PANDA, TEMP.Zhenbao, NetTraveler

First seen
2010-01-01 00:00:00
Origin
CN
Primary motivation
espionage
Sophistication
advanced
Resource level
government
Actor type
Espionage
Last IoC activity
2026-06-15 10:45:04
Profile updated
2026-07-07 11:46:34

Targeted industries: government-and-public-sector technology-and-telecommunications education-and-nonprofits

Targeted regions: country_code:us country_code:ru country_code:cn

Context

APT21, also known as HAMMER PANDA and TEMP.Zhenbao, is a Chinese threat actor known for conducting cyber espionage operations. They typically target government sectors, technology, and educational institutions in various countries.

Reports & references

  • Mandiant — Apt Groups (report)
  • Kaspersky — Nettraveler Is Running Red Star Apt Attacks Compromise High Profile Victims (report)
  • cfr.org — Nettraveler (report)
  • kaspersky.com — 2013 Kaspersky Lab Uncovers Operation Nettraveler A Global Cyberespionage Campaign Targeting Government Affiliated Organizations And Research Institutes (report)
  • kaspersky.com — 2014 Nettraveler Gets A Makeover For 10Th Anniversary (report)
  • Palo Alto Unit 42 — Nettraveler Spear Phishing Email Targets Diplomat Of Uzbekistan (report)
  • proofpoint.com — Nettraveler Apt Targets Russian European Interests (report)
  • darkreading.com — 1324242 (report)

External references