apts

An Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is a prolonged and targeted cyberoperation in which an intruder gains unauthorized access to a network and remains undetected for an extended period. The objective is typically to steal sensitive data, monitor activity, or influence operations, rather than to cause immediate disruption. APTs are characterized by their focus on specific victims, resource-intensive capabilities, and sustained presence within networks.

The typical lifecycle involves several stages: gaining initial access through phishing, exploits, or supply-chain compromises; establishing a foothold and maintaining persistence with backdoors or compromised credentials; escalating privileges and performing internal reconnaissance; moving laterally to reach valuable assets; collecting data and exfiltrating it or carrying out impact actions; and continuing to maintain access to adapt to defenses. Common techniques include spearphishing and social engineering, zero-day or known vulnerability exploits, credential theft, abuse of remote services, macro-enabled malware, and watering holes. Defenders rely on defense in depth, including regular patching, principle of least privilege, multi-factor authentication, network segmentation, endpoint protection, threat-hunting, and robust monitoring with SIEM and EDR capabilities.

Targets are often government agencies, critical infrastructure, defense contractors, financial institutions, energy companies, healthcare providers, and technology firms. Attribution is frequently challenging and contested, with groups commonly suspected of state sponsorship but not always conclusively proven. Notable APT groups include Lazarus Group (North Korea); APT28/Fancy Bear and APT29/Cozy Bear (Russia); OceanLotus/APT32 (Vietnam); Charming Kitten/APT35 (Iran); Sandworm Team (Russia); and APT34/OilRig (Iran). Defensive programs emphasize early detection, rapid containment, and continuous risk management.