S0053: SeaDuke
Security context for executives and security teams
S0053: SeaDuke describes [SeaDuke](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0053) is malware that was used by [APT29](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0016) from 2014 to 2015. It was used primarily as a secondary backdoor for victims that were already compromised with [CozyCar](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0046). (Citation: F-Secure The Dukes)
Executive priority
S0053: SeaDuke is an official MITRE ATT&CK software. Glexia treats it as defensive behavior context for prioritizing monitoring, control validation, and response planning without using the object by itself as an attribution claim.
Technical view
Security teams should validate S0053: SeaDuke by reviewing the official ATT&CK relationships, mapped tactics (the mapped ATT&CK tactic context), supported platforms (Windows), and available local telemetry before making detection or mitigation decisions.
Likely telemetry
- Official ATT&CK relationships and object metadata
- Network, endpoint, and security-tool telemetry
Detection direction
- Validate whether S0053: SeaDuke appears in your detection coverage and tabletop scenarios.
- Use the object to align executive risk language with SOC, incident response, and detection engineering work.
- Do not treat ATT&CK relationship context as attribution without corroborating evidence.
Mitigation priorities
- Map the object to existing controls and identify missing telemetry or response ownership.
- Prioritize mitigations that reduce exposure on the listed platforms and tactics.
- Review adjacent ATT&CK relationships before changing policy, detections, or reporting language.
Additional notes and limits
Baseline Glexia take generated from the official MITRE ATT&CK STIX object, source hash, tactics, platforms, and detection fields. It is safe to replace with a richer model-generated take for the same source hash later.
This baseline take is source-grounded and schema-validated, but it does not include environment-specific telemetry, incident evidence, or threat-intelligence corroboration.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
SeaDuke
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 | T1059.003 | Windows Command ShellSub-technique | SeaDuke is capable of executing commands.CitationUnit 42 SeaDuke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1550.003 | Pass the TicketSub-technique | Some SeaDuke samples have a module to use pass the ticket with Kerberos for authentication.CitationSymantec Seaduke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1132.001 | Standard EncodingSub-technique | SeaDuke C2 traffic is base64-encoded.CitationUnit 42 SeaDuke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1078 | Valid Accounts | Some SeaDuke samples have a module to extract email from Microsoft Exchange servers using compromised credentials.CitationSymantec Seaduke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1560.002 | Archive via LibrarySub-technique | SeaDuke compressed data with zlib prior to sending it over C2.CitationMandiant No Easy Breach |
| Enterprise | T1105 | Ingress Tool Transfer | SeaDuke is capable of uploading and downloading files.CitationUnit 42 SeaDuke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1070.004 | File DeletionSub-technique | SeaDuke can securely delete files, including deleting itself from the victim.CitationSymantec Seaduke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1114.002 | Remote Email CollectionSub-technique | Some SeaDuke samples have a module to extract email from Microsoft Exchange servers using compromised credentials.CitationSymantec Seaduke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1027.002 | Software PackingSub-technique | SeaDuke has been packed with the UPX packer.CitationUnit 42 SeaDuke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1071.001 | Web ProtocolsSub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1547.001 | Registry Run Keys / Startup FolderSub-technique | SeaDuke is capable of persisting via the Registry Run key or a .lnk file stored in the Startup directory.CitationUnit 42 SeaDuke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1573.001 | Symmetric CryptographySub-technique | SeaDuke C2 traffic has been encrypted with RC4 and AES.CitationMandiant No Easy BreachCitationUnit 42 SeaDuke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1547.009 | Shortcut ModificationSub-technique | SeaDuke is capable of persisting via a .lnk file stored in the Startup directory.CitationUnit 42 SeaDuke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1059.001 | PowerShellSub-technique | SeaDuke uses a module to execute Mimikatz with PowerShell to perform Pass the Ticket.CitationSymantec Seaduke 2015 |
| Enterprise | T1546.003 | Windows Management Instrumentation Event SubscriptionSub-technique | SeaDuke uses an event filter in WMI code to execute a previously dropped executable shortly after system startup.CitationFireEye WMI 2015 |
Groups, software, and campaigns
G0016: APT29
APT29 is threat group that has been attributed to Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).[1][2] They have operated since at least 2008, often targeting government networks in Europe and NATO member countries, research institutes, and think tanks. APT29 reportedly compromised the Democratic National Committee starting in the summer of 2015.[3][4][5][6]
In April 2021, the US and UK governments attributed the SolarWinds Compromise to the SVR; public statements included citations to APT29, Cozy Bear, and The Dukes.[7][8] Industry reporting also referred to the actors involved in this campaign as UNC2452, NOBELIUM, StellarParticle, Dark Halo, and SolarStorm.[9][10][11][12][13][14]
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(3)
| Release | Bundle imported | Object version | Modified | Status | Raw hash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.0 | 1.1 | Current bundle | cfd056bdba27… | ||
| 19.2 | 1.1 | Older bundle | cfd056bdba27… | ||
| 19.1 | 1.1 | Older bundle | cfd056bdba27… |
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.
- [1]F-Secure The Dukes
F-Secure Labs. (2015, September 17). The Dukes: 7 years of Russian cyberespionage. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
Open source URL - [2]mitre-attackS0053Open source URL
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