Evasive Panda Uses DNS Poisoning to Deploy MgBot Backdoor in Long-Running Espionage Campaign

Security researchers at Kaspersky have uncovered a sophisticated cyber-espionage operation attributed to the China-linked advanced persistent threat (APT) group known as Evasive Panda, also tracked as Daggerfly, Bronze Highland, and StormBamboo. The campaign leveraged DNS poisoning techniques to distribute the MgBot backdoor, targeting select victims across Türkiye, China, and India.

Active for over a decade, Evasive Panda is widely recognized for developing and deploying the custom MgBot malware framework. In 2023, Symantec previously linked the group to an intrusion at an African telecommunications provider, where new MgBot plugins were observed—demonstrating the group’s continued refinement of its cyber-espionage toolkit.

According to Kaspersky, the latest campaign was highly selective in nature and operated for nearly two years, beginning in November 2022 and continuing through November 2024.

The attackers employed adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) techniques, delivering encrypted malware components through manipulated DNS responses. Each target received a tailored implant designed to evade detection. The MgBot backdoor was injected directly into legitimate processes in memory, frequently using DLL sideloading, allowing the malware to remain concealed for extended period

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