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🇨🇳 CN1 malware familyExploits CVEs in the wild

CL-STA-0046

Also known asCL-STA-0046

CL-STA-0046 is a threat actor tracked under the alias CL-STA-0046. Based on the provided content, it has been associated with use of the open-source tunneling tool EarthWorm. Palo Alto Networks / Unit 42 noted that EarthWorm has reportedly been used by the actor behind CL-STA-0046, and also described EarthWorm as previously associated with several China-linked threat actors including APT41, CL-STA-0046, and Volt Typhoon. EarthWorm is an open-source SOCKS5 proxy and port-forwarding utility that supports Windows, Linux, macOS, and ARM/MIPS platforms and can enable covert communications and lateral movement. No additional high-confidence details about CL-STA-0046’s targets, sub-groups, or broader operations are directly provided in the content.

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OPERATIONAL PROFILE

Targeting

Who, where, and (when attributed) which flag flies behind the operation. Pulled from open-source reporting and Mallory's analyst review.

Where they're from

Attributed origin per open-source reporting.

  • CN
MITRE ATT&CK

Tradecraft

1 distinct technique observed across reporting, grouped by tactic. Hover any cell for the evidence excerpt; click through for MITRE's full description.

1 of 15 tactics1 techniques×N= number of intelligence reports citing this technique
MITRE ATT&CK
TA0011
Command and Control
1 technique
T1090×2
Proxy
ARSENAL

Associated malware families

1 malware family attributed to this actor across reporting.

FamilyContextEvidenceLast seen
EarthwormAfter exploiting the flaw, attackers deployed tunneling tools such as EarthWorm and ReverseSocks5, used stolen credentials to probe Active Directory, and deleted logs and other evidence to hide the intrusion.2May 7, 2026
WEAPONIZED

Associated vulnerabilities

1 CVE this actor has used in observed campaigns. 1 of them exploited in the wild.

CVE-2026-0300Unauthenticated RCE in Palo Alto PAN-OS User-ID Authentication Portal (Captive Portal)In the wildEvidence1

Palo Alto Networks believes the in-the-wild exploitation of a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-0300) in its firewalls is likely the work of state-sponsored threat actors. CVE-2026-0300 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the User-ID Authentication Portal service of Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS software, and can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers sending specially crafted packets to internet-facing User-ID Authentication Portals.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

2 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

2 SOURCESView more in app
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Target overlap

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Tradecraft mapping1

Every observed MITRE ATT&CK technique, grouped by tactic.

Malware arsenal1

Families this actor is known to deploy, with IOCs and behavior.

Exploited CVEs1

CVEs this actor has used in known campaigns.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Observables

Domains, IPs, and hashes tied to this actor, refreshed continuously.

CL-STA-0046 | Mallory