What is an APT (Advanced Persistent Threat)?

An APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) is a sophisticated, long-term cyberattack campaign typically carried out by nation-state actors or well-funded criminal groups targeting high-value organizations. Characteristics: Advanced: use custom malware, zero-days, and sophisticated techniques. Persistent: maintain long-term covert access, moving slowly to avoid detection (dwell time can be months or years). Threat: motivated by espionage, IP theft, financial gain, or sabotage. Known APT groups (MITRE ATT&CK naming): APT28/Fancy Bear (Russian GRU — election interference, DNC hack), APT29/Cozy Bear (Russian SVR — SolarWinds), Lazarus Group (North Korean — Sony Pictures, WannaCry, crypto theft), APT41 (Chinese — espionage + financial crime). Kill chain: Reconnaissance → Weaponization → Delivery → Exploitation → Installation → C2 → Actions on Objectives. Defense: assume breach mentality, threat hunting, behavioral detection, network segmentation, and strong identity controls.