D
CyberNorth Korea

APT38

State-sponsored cyber threat groupTrackedPending verification

Also known as: NICKEL GLADSTONE, BeagleBoyz, Bluenoroff, Stardust Chollima, Sapphire Sleet, COPERNICIUM

CyberPRK
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Fact cardConfidence · Source
System
TypeState-sponsored cyber threat group
Alternative designationsNICKEL GLADSTONE, BeagleBoyz, Bluenoroff, Stardust Chollima, Sapphire Sleet, COPERNICIUM
ProliferationOrigin country only
Active since2014At least 2014Med[1]
MITRE ATT&CK IDG0082High[1]
Capabilities
ATT&CK techniques used115ATT&CK v20.1High[1]
Malware and toolsDarkComet, ECCENTRICBANDWAGON, HOPLIGHT, KillDisk, Mimikatz, Net6 malware and tool entries linked in ATT&CKHigh[1]
Attribution and activity
Attributed sponsorNorth Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB)High[1]
TargetsActive since at least 2014, APT38 has targeted banks, financial institutions, casinos, cryptocurrency exchanges, SWIFT system endpoints, and ATMs in at least 38 countries worldwide.Med[1]
Notes
APT38 is a North Korean state-sponsored threat group that specializes in financial cyber operations; it has been attributed to the Reconnaissance General Bureau. Active since at least 2014, APT38 has targeted banks, financial institutions, casinos, cryptocurrency exchanges, SWIFT system endpoints, and ATMs in at least 38 countries worldwide. Significant operations include the 2016 Bank of Bangladesh heist, Bancomext and Banco de Chile, along with software supply chain compromises and destructive malware attacks. North Korean group definitions are known to have significant overlap, and some security researchers report all North Korean state-sponsored cyber activity under the name Lazarus Group instead of tracking clusters or subgroups. Description adapted from MITRE ATT&CK®, © The MITRE Corporation, used under the ATT&CK Terms of Use.
Summary

APT38 is a North Korean state-sponsored threat group that specializes in financial cyber operations; it has been attributed to the Reconnaissance General Bureau. Active since at least 2014, APT38 has targeted banks, financial institutions, casinos, cryptocurrency exchanges, SWIFT system endpoints, and ATMs in at least 38 countries worldwide.

Draft entry. Values come from the cited public sources and are awaiting editor verification.
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Operators
North Korea
Sources
  1. APT38, Group G0082, MITRE ATT&CK
    Published/updated 2026-10-09 · Tier 2 · checked 2026-11-08
Change log
  • 2026-11-08 Entry created from MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v20.1 (group G0082)