CL-STA-0048 is a Chinese state-backed APT group conducting espionage against South Asian government and telecom entities.
Analyst brief
CL-STA-0048 is a Chinese state-backed APT group targeting government and telecommunications entities in South Asia for espionage purposes. It primarily exploits unpatched vulnerabilities in services like IIS, Apache Tomcat, and MSSQL, and employs evolving methods to maintain persistence on high-value networks. Their TTPs include DNS beaconing via ping commands, reverse shell commands, and C2 traffic directed to specific IP addresses. Defenders should focus on hardening SAP NetWeaver deployments, monitoring for anomalous ping requests, and prioritizing patches for these services.
CL-STA-0048
CL STA 0048
unknown
CL-STA-0048 is a Chinese state-backed APT that targets strategic sectors in South Asia, particularly government and telecommunications entities, with a focus on espionage. The group has been linked to SAP NetWeaver intrusions and employs techniques such as DNS beaconing using ping commands and exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities in services like IIS, Apache Tomcat, and MSSQL. Analysts have observed its use of reverse shell commands and command-and-control traffic directed to specific IP addresses. The actor adapts its methods to evade detection and maintain persistent access to high-value networks.