G0010: Turla
Turla is a cyber espionage threat group that has been attributed to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). They have compromised victims in over 50 countries since at least 2004, spanning a range of industries including government, embassies, military, education, research and pharmaceutical companies. Turla is known for conducting watering hole and spearphishing campaigns, and leveraging in-house tools and malware, such as Uroburos.[1][2][3][4][5]
Analyst context for executives and security teams
Turla matters because ATT&CK describes it as a long-running cyber espionage group associated with Russia’s FSB, with reported compromises across government, diplomatic, military, education, research, and pharmaceutical sectors in more than 50 countries. For leaders, the practical issue is not a single malware family; it is whether the organization can detect and investigate patient, multi-tool intrusions that may use spearphishing, watering holes, custom backdoors, credential dumping, and legitimate administration utilities.
Executive priority
Prioritize Turla as a readiness benchmark for high-consequence espionage scenarios, especially where sensitive research, government relations, foreign affairs, regulated data, or critical operational knowledge are material to the business. Ask whether incident response, identity controls, endpoint logging, email/web security, and server monitoring can produce audit-quality evidence for long-running compromise—not just block commodity malware. Budget decisions should focus on durable visibility and response capability across endpoints, privileged accounts, email/web entry points, and key servers.
Technical view
ATT&CK does not provide a group-level detection section or tactics for this object, so SOC and IR teams should derive validation from the documented software relationships. Turla is associated with custom backdoors and frameworks including Uroburos, Epic, ComRAT, Gazer, Mosquito, Kazuar, Carbon, PowerStallion, LightNeuron, HyperStack, Crutch, IronNetInjector, and Penquin, as well as dual-use or native tools such as Mimikatz, PsExec, Net, Tasklist, Reg, Systeminfo, Arp, nbtstat, netstat, certutil, and Empire. Detection engineering should validate coverage for suspicious use of administrative utilities, PowerShell and .NET activity, credential dumping indicators, remote execution behavior, registry modification, process and service discovery, network enumeration, backdoor-like command and control, and unusual activity on Microsoft Exchange or Linux systems where related software supports those platforms.
Likely telemetry
- Endpoint process creation with command line arguments for Windows utilities such as PsExec, Net, Reg, Tasklist, Systeminfo, certutil, netstat, nbtstat, and Arp
- PowerShell and script execution logs, including encoded or unusual administrative use where collected
- Authentication and privileged account activity relevant to credential dumping and lateral movement investigations
- Endpoint file, module, service, scheduled task, registry, and persistence-related events
- EDR or host logs from Windows, Linux, and macOS systems where related Turla-associated tools support those platforms
Detection direction
- Do not treat the Turla group page as a ready-made detection rule set; ATT&CK provides no official detection text for this object.
- Build detections around behavior clusters from the related software: credential access, remote execution, discovery commands, registry interaction, PowerShell/.NET execution, backdoor persistence, and unusual server-side mail activity.
- Tune carefully for administrative tools such as PsExec, Net, Reg, certutil, netstat, and Tasklist because legitimate IT operations can look similar; prioritize context such as user, host role, time, parent process, remote source, and command-line intent.
- Validate visibility on non-Windows assets as well as Windows because related tools include Linux, macOS, and cross-platform backdoors, even though the group object itself does not specify platforms.
- Use threat intelligence references to enrich hunts for named tools and aliases, but require local telemetry correlation before escalating to attribution.
Mitigation priorities
- Harden identity first: reduce standing privileges, monitor privileged account use, and ensure rapid credential reset procedures for suspected credential dumping exposure.
- Limit and monitor administrative remote execution and native utilities; establish baselines for expected use of PsExec, Net, Reg, certutil, PowerShell, and similar tools.
- Strengthen email and web controls because ATT&CK notes spearphishing and watering-hole campaigns for Turla.
- Ensure endpoint protection and logging coverage across Windows, Linux, and macOS assets where relevant to the related software set.
- Prioritize monitoring and hardening of high-value servers, including mail infrastructure, research systems, diplomatic or government-facing environments, and repositories of sensitive documents.
Analyst notes and limits
This take is based on the official ATT&CK Turla intrusion-set object, its aliases, description, external references, and listed software relationships. The relationship set is valuable for defensive planning because it spans custom espionage malware, backdoors, public frameworks, and legitimate administrative utilities. Use this as a readiness and hunting guide, not as proof that any observed activity is Turla.
The supplied ATT&CK object does not specify group-level platforms, tactics, or detection guidance. Related software includes platform information, but local asset exposure and telemetry quality must determine actual coverage. No active exploitation, current targeting, customer exposure, or guaranteed detection is inferred from the supplied fields.
Turla
Turla is a cyber espionage threat group that has been attributed to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). They have compromised victims in over 50 countries since at least 2004, spanning a range of industries including government, embassies, military, education, research and pharmaceutical companies. Turla is known for conducting watering hole and spearphishing campaigns, and leveraging in-house tools and malware, such as Uroburos.[1][2][3][4][5]
How security teams should use this page
Treat this object as behavior context, not an attribution claim. Validate the related groups, software, data sources, and mitigations against official ATT&CK relationships and your own telemetry before making control-coverage decisions.
Techniques used
This mirrors the MITRE pattern of making group, software, campaign, and technique relationships scannable. Relationship notes come from mirrored ATT&CK relationship text when available.
| Domain | ID | Name | Relationship / procedure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | T1584.006 | Web Services Sub-technique | Turla has frequently used compromised WordPress sites for C2 infrastructure.CitationRecorded Future Turla Infra 2020 |
| Enterprise | T1112 | Modify Registry | Turla has modified Registry values to store payloads.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019CitationSymantec Waterbug Jun 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1069.001 | Local Groups Sub-technique | Turla has used |
| Enterprise | T1140 | Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information | Turla has used a custom decryption routine, which pulls key and salt values from other artifacts such as a WMI filter or PowerShell Profile, to decode encrypted PowerShell payloads.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1588.002 | Tool Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1059.007 | JavaScript Sub-technique | Turla has used various JavaScript-based backdoors.CitationESET Turla Mosquito Jan 2018 |
| Enterprise | T1134.002 | Create Process with Token Sub-technique | Turla RPC backdoors can impersonate or steal process tokens before executing commands.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1059.005 | Visual Basic Sub-technique | Turla has used VBS scripts throughout its operations.CitationSymantec Waterbug Jun 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1546.013 | PowerShell Profile Sub-technique | Turla has used PowerShell profiles to maintain persistence on an infected machine.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1583.006 | Web Services Sub-technique | Turla has created web accounts including Dropbox and GitHub for C2 and document exfiltration.CitationESET Crutch December 2020 |
| Enterprise | T1055.001 | Dynamic-link Library Injection Sub-technique | Turla has used Metasploit to perform reflective DLL injection in order to escalate privileges.CitationESET Turla Mosquito May 2018CitationGithub Rapid7 Meterpreter Elevate |
| Enterprise | T1105 | Ingress Tool Transfer | Turla has used shellcode to download Meterpreter after compromising a victim.CitationESET Turla Mosquito May 2018 |
| Enterprise | T1555.004 | Windows Credential Manager Sub-technique | Turla has gathered credentials from the Windows Credential Manager tool.CitationSymantec Waterbug Jun 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1090 | Proxy | Turla RPC backdoors have included local UPnP RPC proxies.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1068 | Exploitation for Privilege Escalation | Turla has exploited vulnerabilities in the VBoxDrv.sys driver to obtain kernel mode privileges.CitationUnit42 AcidBox June 2020 |
| Enterprise | T1615 | Group Policy Discovery | Turla surveys a system upon check-in to discover Group Policy details using the |
| Enterprise | T1049 | System Network Connections Discovery | Turla surveys a system upon check-in to discover active local network connections using the |
| Enterprise | T1106 | Native API | Turla and its RPC backdoors have used APIs calls for various tasks related to subverting AMSI and accessing then executing commands through RPC and/or named pipes.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1071.003 | Mail Protocols Sub-technique | Turla has used multiple backdoors which communicate with a C2 server via email attachments.CitationCrowdstrike GTR2020 Mar 2020 |
| Enterprise | T1021.002 | SMB/Windows Admin Shares Sub-technique | Turla used |
| Enterprise | T1547.001 | Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder Sub-technique | A Turla Javascript backdoor added a local_update_check value under the Registry key |
| Enterprise | T1005 | Data from Local System | Turla RPC backdoors can upload files from victim machines.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1012 | Query Registry | Turla surveys a system upon check-in to discover information in the Windows Registry with the |
| Enterprise | T1007 | System Service Discovery | Turla surveys a system upon check-in to discover running services and associated processes using the |
| Enterprise | T1110 | Brute Force | Turla may attempt to connect to systems within a victim's network using |
| Enterprise | T1570 | Lateral Tool Transfer | Turla RPC backdoors can be used to transfer files to/from victim machines on the local network.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019CitationSymantec Waterbug Jun 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1189 | Drive-by Compromise | Turla has infected victims using watering holes.CitationESET ComRAT May 2020CitationSecureworks IRON HUNTER Profile |
| Enterprise | T1584.004 | Server Sub-technique | Turla has used compromised servers as infrastructure.CitationRecorded Future Turla Infra 2020CitationAccenture HyperStack October 2020CitationTalos TinyTurla September 2021 |
| Enterprise | T1087.002 | Domain Account Sub-technique | Turla has used |
| Enterprise | T1685 | Disable or Modify Tools | Turla has used a AMSI bypass, which patches the in-memory amsi.dll, in PowerShell scripts to bypass Windows antimalware products.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1564.012 | File/Path Exclusions Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1120 | Peripheral Device Discovery | Turla has used |
| Enterprise | T1567.002 | Exfiltration to Cloud Storage Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1102.002 | Bidirectional Communication Sub-technique | A Turla JavaScript backdoor has used Google Apps Script as its C2 server.CitationESET Turla Mosquito Jan 2018CitationESET Turla Mosquito May 2018 |
| Enterprise | T1071.001 | Web Protocols Sub-technique | Turla has used HTTP and HTTPS for C2 communications.CitationESET Turla Mosquito Jan 2018CitationESET Turla Mosquito May 2018 |
| Enterprise | T1124 | System Time Discovery | Turla surveys a system upon check-in to discover the system time by using the |
| Enterprise | T1087.001 | Local Account Sub-technique | Turla has used |
| Enterprise | T1204.001 | Malicious Link Sub-technique | Turla has used spearphishing via a link to get users to download and run their malware.CitationESET Turla Mosquito Jan 2018 |
| Enterprise | T1090.001 | Internal Proxy Sub-technique | Turla has compromised internal network systems to act as a proxy to forward traffic to C2.CitationTalos TinyTurla September 2021 |
| Enterprise | T1546.003 | Windows Management Instrumentation Event Subscription Sub-technique | Turla has used WMI event filters and consumers to establish persistence.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1560.001 | Archive via Utility Sub-technique | Turla has encrypted files stolen from connected USB drives into a RAR file before exfiltration.CitationSymantec Waterbug Jun 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1059.003 | Windows Command Shell Sub-technique | Turla RPC backdoors have used cmd.exe to execute commands.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019CitationSymantec Waterbug Jun 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1057 | Process Discovery | |
| Enterprise | T1016 | System Network Configuration Discovery | Turla surveys a system upon check-in to discover network configuration details using the |
| Enterprise | T1587.001 | Malware Sub-technique | Turla has developed its own unique malware for use in operations.CitationRecorded Future Turla Infra 2020 |
| Enterprise | T1025 | Data from Removable Media | Turla RPC backdoors can collect files from USB thumb drives.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019CitationSymantec Waterbug Jun 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1518.001 | Security Software Discovery Sub-technique | Turla has obtained information on security software, including security logging information that may indicate whether their malware has been detected.CitationESET ComRAT May 2020 |
| Enterprise | T1059.001 | PowerShell Sub-technique | Turla has used PowerShell to execute commands/scripts, in some cases via a custom executable or code from Empire's PSInject.CitationESET Turla Mosquito May 2018CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019CitationSymantec Waterbug Jun 2019 Turla has also used PowerShell scripts to load and execute malware in memory. |
| Enterprise | T1027.010 | Command Obfuscation Sub-technique | Turla has used encryption (including salted 3DES via PowerSploit's |
| Enterprise | T1059.006 | Python Sub-technique | Turla has used IronPython scripts as part of the IronNetInjector toolchain to drop payloads.CitationUnit 42 IronNetInjector February 2021 |
| Enterprise | T1213.006 | Databases Sub-technique | Turla has used a custom .NET tool to collect documents from an organization's internal central database.CitationESET ComRAT May 2020 |
| Enterprise | T1018 | Remote System Discovery | Turla surveys a system upon check-in to discover remote systems on a local network using the |
| Enterprise | T1588.001 | Malware Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1069.002 | Domain Groups Sub-technique | Turla has used |
| Enterprise | T1027.011 | Fileless Storage Sub-technique | Turla has used the Registry to store encrypted and encoded payloads.CitationESET Turla PowerShell May 2019CitationSymantec Waterbug Jun 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1547.004 | Winlogon Helper DLL Sub-technique | Turla established persistence by adding a Shell value under the Registry key |
Groups, software, and campaigns
S0029: PsExec
S0102: nbtstat
S0126: ComRAT
S0104: netstat
S0160: certutil
S0363: Empire
Empire is an open-source, cross-platform remote administration and post-exploitation framework that is publicly available on GitHub. While the tool itself is primarily written in Python, the post-exploitation agents are written in pure PowerShell for Windows and Python for Linux/macOS. Empire was one of five tools singled out by a joint report on public hacking tools being widely used by adversaries.[1][2][3]
S0256: Mosquito
S1075: KOPILUWAK
S0581: IronNetInjector
IronNetInjector is a Turla toolchain that utilizes scripts from the open-source IronPython implementation of Python with a .NET injector to drop one or more payloads including ComRAT.[1]
S1141: LunarWeb
LunarWeb is a backdoor that has been used by Turla since at least 2020 including in a compromise of a European ministry of foreign affairs (MFA) together with LunarLoader and LunarMail. LunarWeb has only been observed deployed against servers and can use Steganography to obfuscate command and control.[1]
S0099: Arp
S0538: Crutch
All related ATT&CK context
Object version and sync metadata
The fields below describe the current mirrored snapshot. When Glexia retains multiple ATT&CK source imports, you can open the table to compare the same object across releases (hashes and MITRE timestamps). For MITRE’s own release notes and roadmap, see ATT&CK resources — Updates .
Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases (1)
| Release | Bundle imported | Object version | Modified | Status | Raw hash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.1 | 5.1 | Current bundle | b67d6f0bd028… |
Mirrored ATT&CK source object
The raw object is retained through the mirrored ATT&CK source bundle and object hash. The raw endpoint returns the exact object from the mirrored bundle when available.
External references and citations
MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.
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[1]
Kaspersky Turla
Kaspersky Lab's Global Research and Analysis Team. (2014, August 7). The Epic Turla Operation: Solving some of the mysteries of Snake/Uroburos. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
Open source URL -
[2]
ESET Gazer Aug 2017
ESET. (2017, August). Gazing at Gazer: Turla’s new second stage backdoor. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
Open source URL -
[3]
CrowdStrike VENOMOUS BEAR
Meyers, A. (2018, March 12). Meet CrowdStrike’s Adversary of the Month for March: VENOMOUS BEAR. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
Open source URL -
[4]
ESET Turla Mosquito Jan 2018
ESET, et al. (2018, January). Diplomats in Eastern Europe bitten by a Turla mosquito. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
Open source URL -
[5]
Joint Cybersecurity Advisory AA23-129A Snake Malware May 2023
FBI et al. (2023, May 9). Hunting Russian Intelligence “Snake” Malware. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
Open source URL -
[6]
Accenture HyperStack October 2020
Accenture. (2020, October). Turla uses HyperStack, Carbon, and Kazuar to compromise government entity. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
Open source URL -
[7]
BELUGASTURGEON
(Citation: Accenture HyperStack October 2020)
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[8]
ESET Turla PowerShell May 2019
Faou, M. and Dumont R.. (2019, May 29). A dive into Turla PowerShell usage. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
Open source URL -
[9]
Group 88
(Citation: Leonardo Turla Penquin May 2020)
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[10]
IRON HUNTER
(Citation: Secureworks IRON HUNTER Profile)
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[11]
Krypton
(Citation: CrowdStrike VENOMOUS BEAR)
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[12]
Leonardo Turla Penquin May 2020
Leonardo. (2020, May 29). MALWARE TECHNICAL INSIGHT TURLA “Penquin_x64”. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
Open source URL -
[13]
Microsoft Threat Actor Naming July 2023
Microsoft . (2023, July 12). How Microsoft names threat actors. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
Open source URL -
[14]
Secret Blizzard
(Citation: Microsoft Threat Actor Naming July 2023)
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[15]
Securelist WhiteBear Aug 2017
Kaspersky Lab's Global Research & Analysis Team. (2017, August 30). Introducing WhiteBear. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
Open source URL -
[16]
Secureworks IRON HUNTER Profile
Secureworks CTU. (n.d.). IRON HUNTER. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
Open source URL -
[17]
Snake
(Citation: CrowdStrike VENOMOUS BEAR)(Citation: ESET Turla PowerShell May 2019)(Citation: Talos TinyTurla September 2021)
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[18]
Symantec Waterbug
Symantec. (2015, January 26). The Waterbug attack group. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
Open source URL -
[19]
Talos TinyTurla September 2021
Cisco Talos. (2021, September 21). TinyTurla - Turla deploys new malware to keep a secret backdoor on victim machines. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
Open source URL -
[20]
Turla
(Citation: Kaspersky Turla)
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[21]
Venomous Bear
(Citation: CrowdStrike VENOMOUS BEAR)(Citation: Talos TinyTurla September 2021)
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[22]
Waterbug
Based similarity in TTPs and malware used, Turla and Waterbug appear to be the same group.(Citation: Symantec Waterbug)
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[23]
WhiteBear
WhiteBear is a designation used by Securelist to describe a cluster of activity that has overlaps with activity described by others as Turla, but appears to have a separate focus.(Citation: Securelist WhiteBear Aug 2017)(Citation: Talos TinyTurla September 2021)
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[24]
mitre-attack G0010Open source URL
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