#winnti

Axiom could be connected to some of these other groups; however, it is more likely that Axiom advantageously adopts zero-day exploits or malware that are effective in other campaigns. It is possible that Axiom acquires its malware on deepnet or through underground trade. The group is likely Chinese state sponsored, but there are no definitive links connecting it to the Third Department, which houses China’s offensive threat groups Putter Panda and APT1. Axiom malware was configured to use simplified Chinese language settings and some of the filenames are in Chinese. It is more sophisticated in its operations than the aforementioned Third Department groups. It utilizes different resources, and it may have a different mission than Third Department groups.