Updated Cyber Threat Actor Naming System
Brief
Update (July 30): A table listing the new names of select prominent threat actors was appended to this post.
Introduction
Today, Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) will begin rolling out a unified naming schema for tracking threat actors. This new naming taxonomy represents an effort to standardize tracking across platforms and public reporting.
Why are we Adopting a Different Naming System?
Historically, Mandiant and Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) maintained distinct tracking systems, relying on parallel naming schemas that grew independently over time. The creation of GTIG has necessitated a new, fused tracking system, and a new naming system. Thinking to the future, GTIG’s new system will rely on cryptonyms. Relying on sequential numbers or disparate identifiers (e. g.
APT1) fails to provide defenders the critical context needed to operate quickly.