Campaign, Jan 2019 to May 2024.View on attack.mitre.org
FLORAHOX Activity is conducted using a hybrid operational relay box (ORB) network, which combines two types of infrastructure: compromised devices and leased Virtual Private Servers (VPS). The compromised devices include end-of-life routers and IoT devices, while VPS space is commercially leased and managed by ORB network administrators. This hybrid ORB network allows adversaries to proxy and obscure malicious traffic, making the source of the traffic more difficult to trace.
The FLORAHOX ORB network has been leveraged by multiple cyber threat actors, including China-nexus actors like ZIRCONIUM. These adversaries conduct espionage campaigns through FLORAHOX Activity, relying on the ORB network's ability to funnel traffic through Tor nodes, provisioned VPS servers, and compromised routers to obfuscate malicious traffic.
| Technique | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter |
FLORAHOX Activity has executed PHP and Shell scripts to identify and infect subsequent routers for the ORB network. |
| T1059.004 Unix Shell |
FLORAHOX Activity has executed multiple Bash controller scripts to provide command line inputs for FLORAHOX traversal configurations. |
| T1090.003 Multi-hop Proxy |
FLORAHOX Activity has routed traffic through a customized Tor relay network layer. |
| T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application |
FLORAHOX Activity has exploited and infected vulnerable routers to recruit additional network devices into the ORB. |
| T1583.003 Virtual Private Server |
FLORAHOX Activity has used acquired Virtual Private Servers as control systems for the ORB network. |
| T1584.008 Network Devices |
FLORAHOX Activity has compromised network routers and IoT devices for the ORB network. |
MITRE does not attribute this campaign to a group.
Data from MITRE ATT&CK® (Enterprise). ATT&CK® is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation.
