ZIRCONIUM

Zirconium is a known alias of the APT group APT31

ZIRCONIUM is a threat group operating out of China, active since at least 2017, that has targeted individuals associated with the 2020 US presidential election and prominent leaders in the international affairs community.

Zirconium is an advanced persistent threat (APT) that has been active since at least 2014 and is believed to be linked to Russian intelligence agencies. It primarily targets government organizations, military institutions, and defense contractors in the United States and Europe. Zirconium uses a variety of tactics such as spear-phishing emails, watering hole attacks, and exploiting vulnerabilities in software to gain access to sensitive information. The group is known for its stealthy operations and ability to remain undetected for extended periods of time.

Techniques, tactics and practices:

Zirconium is a highly sophisticated threat actor that employs various techniques to achieve its objectives. Some of these include spear-phishing emails, watering hole attacks, exploiting vulnerabilities in software, and using social engineering tactics such as impersonation or manipulation of trusted sources. The group is also known for their stealthy operations that allow them to remain undetected for extended periods of time. Additionally, Zirconium has been observed targeting specific individuals within organizations rather than just the organization itself, which increases the likelihood of successful attacks and data exfiltration.