S1027: Heyoka Backdoor

S1027: Heyoka Backdoor describes [Heyoka Backdoor](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S1027) is a custom backdoor--based on the Heyoka open source exfiltration tool--that has been used by [Aoqin Dragon](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1007) since at least 2013.(Citation: SentinelOne Aoqin Dragon June 2022)(Citation: Sourceforge Heyoka 2022)

Executive priority

S1027: Heyoka Backdoor 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 S1027: Heyoka Backdoor 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 S1027: Heyoka Backdoor 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.

Official MITRE ATT&CK definition

Heyoka Backdoor

Heyoka Backdoor is a custom backdoor--based on the Heyoka open source exfiltration tool--that has been used by Aoqin Dragon since at least 2013.[1][2]

View the same entry on attack.mitre.org (MITRE-hosted reference; in-page links above use the Glexia ATT&CK library.)

Glexia analysis

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.

ATT&CK relationship table

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.

Filter related techniques15 rows

Domain	ID	Name	Relationship / procedure
Enterprise	T1055.001	Dynamic-link Library InjectionSub-technique	Heyoka Backdoor can inject a DLL into rundll32.exe for execution.[1]
Enterprise	T1070.004	File DeletionSub-technique	Heyoka Backdoor has the ability to delete folders and files from a targeted system.[1]
Enterprise	T1572	Protocol Tunneling	Heyoka Backdoor can use spoofed DNS requests to create a bidirectional tunnel between a compromised host and its C2 servers.[1]
Enterprise	T1140	Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information	Heyoka Backdoor can decrypt its payload prior to execution.[1]
Enterprise	T1071.004	DNSSub-technique	Heyoka Backdoor can use DNS tunneling for C2 communications.[1]
Enterprise	T1680	Local Storage Discovery	Heyoka Backdoor can enumerate drives on a compromised host.[1]
Enterprise	T1007	System Service Discovery	Heyoka Backdoor can check if it is running as a service on a compromised host.[1]
Enterprise	T1057	Process Discovery	Heyoka Backdoor can gather process information.[1]
Enterprise	T1218.011	Rundll32Sub-technique	Heyoka Backdoor can use rundll32.exe to gain execution.[1]
Enterprise	T1083	File and Directory Discovery	Heyoka Backdoor has the ability to search the compromised host for files.[1]
Enterprise	T1547.001	Registry Run Keys / Startup FolderSub-technique	Heyoka Backdoor can establish persistence with the auto start function including using the value `EverNoteTrayUService`.[1]
Enterprise	T1027.013	Encrypted/Encoded FileSub-technique	Heyoka Backdoor can encrypt its payload.[1]
Enterprise	T1120	Peripheral Device Discovery	Heyoka Backdoor can identify removable media attached to victim's machines.[1]
Enterprise	T1036.004	Masquerade Task or ServiceSub-technique	Heyoka Backdoor has been named `srvdll.dll` to appear as a legitimate service.[1]
Enterprise	T1204.002	Malicious FileSub-technique	Heyoka Backdoor has been spread through malicious document lures.[1]

Associated objects

Groups, software, and campaigns

G1007: Aoqin Dragon

Aoqin Dragon is a suspected Chinese cyber espionage threat group that has been active since at least 2013. Aoqin Dragon has primarily targeted government, education, and telecommunication organizations in Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam. Security researchers noted a potential association between Aoqin Dragon and UNC94, based on malware, infrastructure, and targets.[1]

Relationship explorer

All related ATT&CK context

Change history

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.

ATT&CK release: 19.2
Object version: 1.1
Created: Jul 25, 2022, 18:18 UTC (UTC+00:00)
Modified: Apr 11, 2024, 02:20 UTC (UTC+00:00)
Raw hash: 0858597c49cad6c5...

Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases(2)

Release	Bundle imported	Object version	Modified	Status	Raw hash
19.2	Aug 6, 2026, 02:58 UTC (UTC+00:00)	1.1	Apr 11, 2024, 02:20 UTC (UTC+00:00)	Current bundle	`0858597c49ca…`
19.1	Jul 14, 2026, 09:14 UTC (UTC+00:00)	1.1	Apr 11, 2024, 02:20 UTC (UTC+00:00)	Older bundle	`0858597c49ca…`

Raw source

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.

Open mirrored raw JSON Open MITRE-hosted copy

Source references

External references and citations

MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.

[1]
SentinelOne Aoqin Dragon June 2022
Chen, Joey. (2022, June 9). Aoqin Dragon | Newly-Discovered Chinese-linked APT Has Been Quietly Spying On Organizations For 10 Years. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
Open source URL
[2]
Sourceforge Heyoka 2022
Sourceforge. (n.d.). Heyoka POC Exfiltration Tool. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
Open source URL
[3]
mitre-attackS1027
Open source URL

Source and licensing

Source: MITRE ATT&CK®. © 2026 The MITRE Corporation. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of The MITRE Corporation. MITRE ATT&CK and ATT&CK are registered trademarks of The MITRE Corporation. Glexia is not affiliated with or endorsed by MITRE.

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