THREAT ACTOR DOSSIER
====================
BASIC INFORMATION
Name: APT38 (Lazarus Group)
Aliases: APT38, HIDDEN COBRA, DHARMA, DPRK THREAT ACTOR, NORTH KOREAN CYBER WARFARE, G0032
MITRE ATT&CK Group ID: G0032
Country of Origin: North Korea (DPRK)
Affiliation: North Korean state-sponsored cyber warfare unit
Type: State-sponsored cyber warfare (espionage, theft, disruption, ransomware)
MOTIVATION
Primary Motivation: State-sponsored cyber warfare and financial theft
Secondary Motivations:
- Funding North Korean regime
- Strategic intelligence gathering
- Destructive attacks and disruption
- Extortion through ransomware operations
- Intellectual property theft
Geographic Focus:
- South Korea
- United States
- Japan
- Australia
- Taiwan
- Middle East
- Healthcare sector (U.S.)
MITRE ATT&CK TTP MAPPING
Initial Access:
- T1566.001 – Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment
- T1566.002 – Phishing: Spearphishing Link
- T1190 – Exploit Public-Facing Application
- T1577 – Compromise Host via Supply Chain
Execution:
- T1059.001 – PowerShell
- T1059.004 – Python
- T1204.002 – User Execution: Malicious File
- T1059.003 – Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell
Persistence:
- T1547.001 – Boot or Logon Autostart Execution
- T1546.004 – Accessibility Features
- T1590 – Lateral Tool Transfer
Privilege Escalation:
- T1068 – Exploitation for Privilege Escalation
- T1548.002 – Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism
- T1548.004 – Abuse Installed Service
Defense Evasion:
- T1070.005 – Clear Windows Event Logs
- T1071.001 – Application Layer Protocol
- T1055 – Process Injection
- T1027 – Obfuscated Files or Information
Credential Access:
- T1555.001 – Input Capture: Keyboard
- T1555.004 – Input Capture: Hardware Token
- T1003 – OS Credential Dumping
- T1110.001 – Brute Force
Discovery:
- T1082 – Identify Windows System
- T1083 – File and Directory Discovery
- T1087 – Account Discovery
- T1085 – Active Directory Permissions Discovery
Lateral Movement:
- T1021.002 – SMB/Windows Admin Shares
- T1021.004 – Remote Desktop Protocol
- T1076 – Remote Services
- T1570 – Overlay Tools
Collection:
- T1005 – Data from Local System
- T1003.001 – LSADump File
- T1003.003 – Credential Dump
- T1213 – Security Information Collection
Command and Control:
- T1071.004 – Remote Services
- T1571 – Non-Application Layer Protocol
- T1102 – Web Service
- T1071.001 – Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocol
Exfiltration:
- T1041 – Exfiltration Over C2 Channel
- T1567 – Exfiltration Over Web Service
- T1570 – Overlay Tools
TOOLS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Primary Tools:
- Medusa Ransomware – Extortion ransomware for healthcare and nonprofit targets
- Hidden Cobra – Custom malware and tools
- Dharma – Remote access trojan
- Cobalt Strike – Post-exploitation framework
- Dharma RAT – Remote access trojan
Secondary Tools:
- Ragnar Locker – Ransomware framework
- BlackCat/ALPHV – Ransomware operations
- Custom PowerShell scripts – Initial access and post-exploitation
- Covenant – C2 framework
- Sliver – Modern C2 framework
Infrastructure:
- C2 domains embedded in malware
- Hardcoded IP addresses in malware
- Proxy servers for C2 communication
- Compromised websites for C2
- North Korean infrastructure
TARGETED SECTORS
Primary Targets:
- Healthcare – U.S. hospitals, healthcare providers, patient data
- Finance – Banks, financial institutions, payment processors
- Government – Federal agencies, state/local governments
- Technology – Semiconductor companies, tech vendors
- Critical Infrastructure – Energy, utilities, transportation
Secondary Targets:
- Education – Universities, research institutions
- Transportation – Aviation, shipping, logistics companies
- Media – Broadcasting companies, news organizations
- Retail – E-commerce, retail stores
ASSOCIATED MALWARE
Primary Malware Families:
- Medusa Ransomware – Extortion ransomware (current operations)
- Hidden Cobra – Custom malware framework
- Dharma RAT – Remote access trojan
- Ragnar Locker – Ransomware (previous operations)
- BlackCat/ALPHV – Ransomware (collaboration)
Secondary Malware Families:
- Cobalt Strike Beacon – Post-exploitation implant
- PowerShell-based droppers – Initial access
- Credential theft tools – Mimikatz variants
- Lateral movement scripts – PsExec, WinRM
- Data exfiltration tools – Custom C2 clients
NOTABLE CAMPAIGNS
Campaign 1: Healthcare Sector Operations (2026)
- Targets: U.S. hospitals, healthcare providers
- Impact: Patient data compromise, intellectual property theft
- Techniques: Medusa ransomware, phishing, supply chain attacks
- Recent Operations (2026): Continued operations against U.S. healthcare sector using Medusa ransomware
Campaign 2: South Korean Operations (2009-2025)
- Targets: South Korean government, financial institutions, tech companies
- Impact: Strategic intelligence gathering, financial theft
- Techniques: Phishing, Dharma RAT, Cobalt Strike
- Recent Operations (2025): Ongoing targeting of South Korean infrastructure
Campaign 3: U.S. Government Operations (2014-2025)
- Targets: U.S. federal agencies, state/local governments
- Impact: Strategic intelligence, technology theft
- Techniques: Spearphishing, zero-day exploitation
- Recent Operations (2025): Continued U.S. government sector targeting
Campaign 4: Destructive Operations (2018-2025)
- Targets: Critical infrastructure, energy facilities
- Impact: Destructive wiper malware deployment
- Techniques: Exploitation, lateral movement, wiper deployment
- Recent Operations (2025): Potential destructive operations against critical infrastructure
THREAT LEVEL ASSESSMENT
Overall Threat Level: CRITICAL
Capabilities:
- State-sponsored cyber warfare capabilities
- Custom malware development
- Multi-vector attack campaigns
- Destructive operation capability
- Extensive financial theft history
Maturity: Advanced
Resources: Extensive (state-sponsored)
Notable Operations:
- 2013 South Korea cyberattack (180,000+ devices impacted)
- 2016 WannaCry ransomware (alleged involvement)
- 2026 Medusa ransomware operations (healthcare targets)
- 2018 Sony Pictures attack (destructive operations)
- 2014-2025 U.S. government targeting
- 2009-2025 South Korean operations
- 2026 healthcare sector ransomware operations
CVE AND VULNERABILITY EXPLOITATION
Exploited Vulnerabilities:
- Unpatched remote code execution vulnerabilities
- Supply chain software vulnerabilities
- Legacy system vulnerabilities
- Zero-day exploits in critical infrastructure
Preferred Exploitation Vectors:
- Phishing campaigns with malicious attachments
- Business email compromise (BEC)
- Supply chain software updates
- Compromised third-party vendors
INDICATORS OF COMPROMISE (IOCs)
File Hashes:
- Medusa ransomware variants: Multiple MD5/SHA256 hashes
- Hidden Cobra tools: Various hashes
- Cobalt Strike Beacon: Various hashes
- Custom scripts: Hashes from malware analysis
Network Indicators:
- C2 domains: Various TLDs and country-code TLDs
- IP addresses: Compromised infrastructure
- Malicious URLs: Phishing sites, dropper downloads
SOURCES
Primary Sources:
- MITRE ATT&CK Groups database (attack.mitre.org/groups/G0032/)
- Huntress Threat Library (huntress.com/threat-library/threat-actors/cobalt-group)
- Security.com Lazarus Medusa Ransomware (security.com/threat-intelligence/lazarus-medusa-ransomware)
- Industrial Cyber Medusa Ransomware (industrialcyber.co/ransomware/lazarus-hackers-adopt-medusa-ransomware-for-extortion-campaigns-targeting-healthcare-and-nonprofits/)
- Malpedia (malpedia.caad.fkie.fraunhofer.de/actor/lazarus_group)
- The Hacker News Lazarus Group (thehackernews.com/search/label/lazarus%20group)
- ClearPhish AI North Korean Lazarus Group (clearphish.ai/news/north-korean-lazarus-group-linked-medusa-ransomware-healthcare-attacks)
Secondary Sources:
- Picus Security Lazarus Group TTPs and Major Attacks
- Radware Lazarus Group (radware.com/cyberpedia/ddos-attacks/the-lazarus-group-apt38-north-korean-threat-actor/)
- FalconFeeds.io Lazarus Group Intelligence Dossier (falconfeeds.io/blogs/lazarus-constellation-dprk-cyber-warfare-intelligence-dossier-2009-2026/)
- Symantec and Carbon Black threat hunter intelligence
- Broadcom threat intelligence division
CVE Databases:
- CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures)
- NVD (National Vulnerability Database)
- MITRE CVE
LAST UPDATED
Date: 2026-06-03
Analyst: IRG Research lurch-bot farm
Review Status: Current
Intelligence Freshness: Recent operations captured (2026)
Note: This dossier is part of a comprehensive threat actor intelligence series. Similar dossiers have been created for APT41, FIN7, and other major threat actors.