{ "id": "999df256-2d07-4e6f-bc39-538066e70d7e", "created_at": "2026-04-06T00:10:01.390145Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T03:37:50.714208Z", "deleted_at": null, "sha1_hash": "6d9d5c4e6b7d33e0a5ca5d5d8a1bd4f6390bbac6", "title": "Russia-Linked Hackers Target Diplomatic Entities in Central Asia", "llm_title": "", "authors": "", "file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_modification_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_size": 103630, "plain_text": "Russia-Linked Hackers Target Diplomatic Entities in Central Asia\r\nBy Eduard Kovacs\r\nPublished: 2018-10-16 · Archived: 2026-04-05 19:56:51 UTC\r\nCybersecurity companies have been monitoring the activities of a threat group that focuses on espionage\r\ncampaigns aimed at diplomatic entities in Central Asia.\r\nEarlier this month, ESET detailed the threat actor’s operations, which it tracks as Nomadic Octopus, at the Virus\r\nBulletin conference. On Monday, Kaspersky also published a blog post covering some of the group’s attacks and\r\ntools.\r\nAccording to Kaspersky, which tracks the group as DustSquad, the hackers appear to speak Russian.\r\nAnton Cherepanov, the ESET senior malware researcher who detailed Nomadic Octopus at Virus Bulletin,\r\nconfirmed for SecurityWeek that the hackers may speak Russian based on the spear-phishing emails they send out\r\nand the use of Russian malware filenames.\r\nESET, which says the threat actor is very persistent, has identified only one type of malware used by Nomadic\r\nOctopus and has found evidence that the group has been active since at least 2015.\r\nKaspersky, however, has discovered both Windows and Android malware, and identified a campaign that dates as\r\nfar back as 2014. The cyberspies appear to be focusing on private individuals and diplomatic entities in Central\r\nAsia, mostly former Soviet Union countries and Afghanistan.\r\nAdvertisement. Scroll to continue reading.\r\nIn April 2018, researchers at Kaspersky discovered a new sample of DustSquad’s Windows malware, which they\r\nare tracking as Octopus. The malware had been disguised as the Telegram messaging application, specifically a\r\nRussian version that appeared to have been used by the Democratic Choice (DVK) opposition party in\r\nKazakhstan. The fake app emerged just as Kazakhstan had threatened to block Telegram over its use by the DVK.\r\nhttps://www.securityweek.com/russia-linked-hackers-target-diplomatic-entities-central-asia\r\nPage 1 of 2\n\nDustSquad uses the Delphi programming language to develop its Octopus Trojan, the same as Sofacy’s Zebrocy\r\nmalware. While both DustSquad and Sofacy have been linked to Russia and malware from both groups was found\r\non compromised machines, Kaspersky believes the threat actors are not related.\r\nAn analysis of the Octopus malware’s different components revealed some apparently unfinished functionality.\r\nHowever, experts believe that the malware was actually created in a hurry and its developers decided not to\r\nimplement certain capabilities.\r\nOnce it infects a system, the malware gives attackers remote access to the targeted machine, including the ability\r\nto execute commands, upload and download files, take screenshots, and search for RAR archives.\r\n“Political entities in Central Asia have been targeted throughout 2018 by different actors, including IndigoZebra,\r\nSofacy (with Zebrocy malware) and most recently by DustSquad (with Octopus malware),” Kaspersky researchers\r\nsaid. “Interestingly, we observed some victims who are ‘threat magnets’ targeted by all of them. From our\r\nexperience we can say that the interest shown by threat actors in this region is now high, and the traditional\r\n‘players’ have been joined by relative newcomers like DustSquad that have sprung up locally.”\r\nRelated: Russian Cyberspies Shift Focus From NATO Countries to Asia\r\nRelated: Chinese Cyberspies Target National Data Center in Asia\r\nRelated: RANCOR Cyber Espionage Group Uncovered\r\nSource: https://www.securityweek.com/russia-linked-hackers-target-diplomatic-entities-central-asia\r\nhttps://www.securityweek.com/russia-linked-hackers-target-diplomatic-entities-central-asia\r\nPage 2 of 2", "extraction_quality": 1, "language": "EN", "sources": [ "MITRE" ], "references": [ "https://www.securityweek.com/russia-linked-hackers-target-diplomatic-entities-central-asia" ], "report_names": [ "russia-linked-hackers-target-diplomatic-entities-central-asia" ], "threat_actors": [ { "id": "978775b9-369d-44f7-8a42-76d7b9cb42d5", "created_at": "2022-10-25T15:50:23.846105Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.36378Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "Nomadic Octopus", "aliases": [ "Nomadic Octopus", "DustSquad" ], "source_name": "MITRE:Nomadic Octopus", "tools": null, "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "62f2206e-d8c6-49bb-86fc-63118ac2bf40", "created_at": "2022-10-25T16:07:23.725942Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:04.728159Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "IndigoZebra", "aliases": [ "G0136" ], "source_name": "ETDA:IndigoZebra", "tools": [ "Dropbox" ], "source_id": "ETDA", "reports": null }, { "id": "abb4a645-181b-4237-825f-447ac9b0c16d", "created_at": "2022-10-25T15:50:23.764656Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.40558Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "IndigoZebra", "aliases": [ "IndigoZebra" ], "source_name": "MITRE:IndigoZebra", "tools": [ "xCaon", "BoxCaon", "PoisonIvy" ], "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "70661552-6715-4750-bf4e-527055d3e7b4", "created_at": "2023-11-08T02:00:07.114392Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.417207Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "DustSquad", "aliases": [ "Nomadic Octopus" ], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:DustSquad", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "e8aee970-e31e-489f-81c2-c23cd52e255c", "created_at": "2023-01-06T13:46:38.763687Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.092181Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "RANCOR", "aliases": [ "Rancor Group", "G0075", "Rancor Taurus", "Rancor group", "Rancor" ], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:RANCOR", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "6d11e45c-4e31-4997-88f5-295b2564cfc6", "created_at": "2022-10-25T15:50:23.794721Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.358892Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "Rancor", "aliases": [ "Rancor" ], "source_name": "MITRE:Rancor", "tools": [ "DDKONG", "PLAINTEE", "certutil" ], "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "f33ce87f-9514-447c-aba2-ff3e4e9e5b71", "created_at": "2023-11-07T02:00:07.097748Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.406698Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "IndigoZebra", "aliases": [], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:IndigoZebra", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "f6fe4b4f-9694-4ffc-94ef-a0cc5aef94d9", "created_at": "2022-10-25T16:07:23.556112Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:04.655561Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "DustSquad", "aliases": [ "APT-C-34", "DustSquad", "G0133", "Golden Falcon", "Nomadic Octopus" ], "source_name": "ETDA:DustSquad", "tools": [ "Garpun", "Paperbug", "Remote Control System" ], "source_id": "ETDA", "reports": null }, { "id": "730dfa6e-572d-473c-9267-ea1597d1a42b", "created_at": "2023-01-06T13:46:38.389985Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:02.954105Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "APT28", "aliases": [ "Pawn Storm", "ATK5", "Fighting Ursa", "Blue Athena", "TA422", "T-APT-12", "APT-C-20", "UAC-0001", "IRON TWILIGHT", "SIG40", "UAC-0028", "Sofacy", "BlueDelta", "Fancy Bear", "GruesomeLarch", "Group 74", "ITG05", "FROZENLAKE", "Forest Blizzard", "FANCY BEAR", "Sednit", "SNAKEMACKEREL", "Tsar Team", "TG-4127", "STRONTIUM", "Grizzly Steppe", "G0007" ], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:APT28", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "416f8374-2b06-47e4-ba91-929b3f85d9bf", "created_at": "2022-10-25T16:07:24.093951Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:04.864244Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "Rancor", "aliases": [ "G0075", "Rancor Group", "Rancor Taurus" ], "source_name": "ETDA:Rancor", "tools": [ "8.t Dropper", "8.t RTF exploit builder", "8t_dropper", "Agentemis", "Cobalt Strike", "CobaltStrike", "DDKONG", "Derusbi", "Dudell", "ExDudell", "KHRAT", "PLAINTEE", "RoyalRoad", "certutil", "certutil.exe", "cobeacon" ], "source_id": "ETDA", "reports": null }, { "id": "e3767160-695d-4360-8b2e-d5274db3f7cd", "created_at": "2022-10-25T16:47:55.914348Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.610018Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "IRON TWILIGHT", "aliases": [ "APT28 ", "ATK5 ", "Blue 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