Palo Alto Networks has uncovered a series of potentially state-sponsored cyber attacks targeting government and military organizations in countries throughout Southeast Asia. The attacks were discovered by the Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 threat intelligence team and dubbed as Operation Lotus Blossom and over 50 separate attacks have been identified in the operation. According to the company, the attacks attempt to gain inside information on the operation of nation-states throughout the region. The campaign dates as far back as three years and involves targets in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. All the attacks use a custom-built Trojan, Elise, to deliver highly targeted spear phishing emails and gain an initial foothold on targeted systems. The threat intelligent team believes the Elise malware was developed to meet the unique needs of the operation and also is being used in other non-related attacks.