China Chopper

Malware
4 incidents First seen 2026-02-19 Last seen 2026-09-09
Overview

China Chopper is a Web Shell hosted on Web servers to provide access back into an enterprise network that does not rely on an infected system calling back to a remote command and control server. It has been used by several threat groups.

Threat ecosystem
Actors Malware Campaigns CVEs
Tap a node for a quick look · double-tap to open its profile
At a glance
peak priority 115 10 techniques 9 groups use it Windows in ATT&CK since 2017-05-31 updated 2024-01-03 · v2.5
Activity by month (incidents)
2026-022026-09
Sectors targeted
aviation · 1government · 1pharmaceutical · 1telecommunications · 1
Countries targeted
CN · 4AU · 1CA · 1GB · 1NZ · 1US · 1
Origin
AE · 2AT · 2AU · 2BH · 2CA · 2CH · 2
Kinds of incident
Exploited Vulnerability · 1Malware & Botnets · 1
Techniques seen in incidents
Exfiltration · 3Lateral Movement · 3T1505.003 - Web Shell · 3Extortion · 2Reconnaissance · 2T1059.001 - PowerShell · 2T1059.006 - Python · 2T1584.004 - Server · 2T1588.001 - Malware · 2T1588.006 - Vulnerabilities · 2Data Leak · 1Ddos · 1Espionage · 1Privilege Escalation · 1
Related CVEs
CVE-2021-27101 · 1CVE-2021-4034 · 1CVE-2023-34048 · 1CVE-2023-34362 · 1CVE-2024-12356 · 1CVE-2025-53521 · 1CVE-2026-12569 · 1CVE-2026-1731 · 1
ATT&CK techniques by tactic (10)
execution T1059.003 Windows Command Shell
persistence T1505.003 Web Shell
credential access T1110.001 Password Guessing
discovery T1046 Network Service Discovery T1083 File and Directory Discovery
collection T1005 Data from Local System
command and control T1071.001 Web Protocols T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer
stealth T1027.002 Software Packing T1070.006 Timestomp
Groups that use it
APT41BackdoorDiplomacyFox KittenGALLIUMHAFNIUMLeviathanMustang PandaThreat Group-3390ToddyCat
Incident timeline
2026-03-06
An Investigation Into Years of Undetected Operations Targeting High-Value Sectors
2026-02-19
VShell and SparkRAT Observed in Exploitation of BeyondTrust Critical Vulnerability (CVE-2026-1731)