PLA Unit 61486
PLA Unit 61486 (also known as Putter Panda or APT2) is a People's Liberation Army unit dedicated to cyberattacks on American, Japanese, and European corporations focused on satellite and communications technology. It is a unit that takes part in China's campaign to steal trade and military secrets from foreign targets.
| Unit 61486 | |
|---|---|
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Allegiance | Chinese Communist Party |
| Branch | People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force |
| Type | Cyber force |
| Role | Cyber warfare Electronic warfare |
| Part of | People's Liberation Army |
| Nickname(s) | Putter Panda |
In 2014, they were exposed to the public by a report made by CrowdStrike, a digital security firm. One member of Unit 61486 has been identified as Chen Ping, with the online alias of "cpyy". Unit 61486 has also been nicknamed "Putter Panda" by the security firm Crowdstrike, in reference to its Chinese origins ("panda") and its penchant for targeting golf players ("putter").
Its exposure came after another PLA unit, PLA Unit 61398, was exposed for similar activity, the previous year, as well as the indictment of five members of Unit 61398 by the United States the previous month. Meanwhile, Edward Snowden's release of information on America's surveillance program would also become a focal point in China's response to the accusations of spying, using it as evidence the United States was hypocritical in their accusations of espionage.