Forest Blizzard

Threat Actor updated 4 days ago (2024-11-29T14:36:18.059Z)
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Forest Blizzard, also known as APT28, Fancy Bear, and Strontium, is a notorious threat actor linked to Russia. In April 2022, this group gained control over a botnet which was then employed for persistent espionage campaigns. The group has shown consistent and lasting repetitions in its tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), demonstrating advanced persistent threat (APT) capabilities. Forest Blizzard has exploited vulnerabilities like the Microsoft Outlook flaw and the Windows Print Spooler flaw (CVE-2022-38028), using tools such as GooseEgg, detected by Microsoft Defender Antivirus as HackTool:Win64/GooseEgg. The group's activities have drawn widespread condemnation from international entities. Both NATO and the European Union have publicly condemned the cyber espionage operations carried out by Forest Blizzard against European countries. These operations include a series of sophisticated phishing campaigns targeting organizations across Europe, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and North and South America, as well as NGOs, uncovered by IBM X-Force threat intelligence team. In response to these threats, cybersecurity measures have been recommended and implemented. Microsoft urged users to apply the CVE-2022-38028 security update to mitigate the GooseEgg threat against Windows Print Spooler. Moreover, efforts to counteract Forest Blizzard's activities extend beyond individual companies. International partners, including agencies from Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, have observed multiple Russia-linked threat actors, including Forest Blizzard, using the Moobot botnet, indicating a coordinated global effort to monitor and combat this threat actor.
Description last updated: 2024-11-28T11:51:07.340Z
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Possible Aliases / Cluster overlaps
It's hard to track cluster overlaps and naming conventions between vendors, so here are some possible overlapping names / profiles you also may want to look at. Create a free account to see the source evidence for each alias, and help fix any errors.
Alias DescriptionVotes
APT28 is a possible alias for Forest Blizzard. APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, Pawn Storm, Sofacy Group, Sednit, and STRONTIUM, is a threat actor linked to Russia. The group has been associated with cyber espionage campaigns across Central Asia and has historically targeted areas of national security, military operations, and geopolitical influ
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STRONTIUM is a possible alias for Forest Blizzard. Strontium, also known as APT28, Fancy Bear, Forest Blizzard, and several other names, is a threat actor linked to Russia's General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). Active since at least 2007, the group has targeted governments, militaries, and security organizations worldwide. Strontium's
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Pawn Storm is a possible alias for Forest Blizzard. Pawn Storm, also known as APT28, Fancy Bear, Sofacy Group, Sednit, BlueDelta, and STRONTIUM, is a threat actor that has been active since at least 2007. The group is notorious for its complex operations that steal victims' credentials to enable surveillance or intrusion operations. It has targeted g
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Ta422 is a possible alias for Forest Blizzard. TA422, also known under aliases APT28, Forest Blizzard, Pawn Storm, Fancy Bear, and BlueDelta, is a threat actor attributed by the United States Intelligence Community to the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). Since March 2023, cybersecurity researchers at Proofpoint have obs
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Sednit is a possible alias for Forest Blizzard. Sednit, also known as APT28, Fancy Bear, Strontium/Forest Blizzard, Pawn Storm, Sofacy, and BlueDelta, is a threat actor group associated with Russia’s military intelligence. This group has been active since at least 2007, targeting governments, militaries, and security organizations worldwide. Sedn
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Itg05 is a possible alias for Forest Blizzard. ITG05, also known as Fancy Bear, Forest Blizzard, and APT28, among other aliases, is a sophisticated threat actor that has been involved in several cyber operations with malicious intent. The group has been leveraging the Israel-Hamas conflict to deliver Headlace malware, targeting non-governmental
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Miscellaneous Associations
Other elements of context that could aid in the identification of relevance
Russia
Microsoft
Vulnerability
Gooseegg
Ukraine
Apt
Exploit
Windows
Botnet
Outlook
Phishing
Analyst Notes & Discussion
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Associated Malware
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Alias DescriptionAssociation TypeVotes
The Moobot Malware is associated with Forest Blizzard. Moobot is a malicious software (malware) that is based on the Mirai platform. This malware was designed to infiltrate devices and systems, often through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites without user knowledge. Once inside a system, Moobot facilitated targeted attacks against various entitieUnspecified
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Associated Threat Actors
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Alias DescriptionAssociation TypeVotes
The Frozenlake Threat Actor is associated with Forest Blizzard. Frozenlake, also known as APT28, Fancy Bear, Forest Blizzard, and several other names, is a threat actor believed to be sponsored by the Russian military. The group has been involved in numerous cyber-attacks, primarily targeting Ukraine's energy sector. Their modus operandi includes exploiting vulnhas used
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Associated Vulnerabilities
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Alias DescriptionAssociation TypeVotes
The vulnerability CVE-2022-38028 is associated with Forest Blizzard. Unspecified
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Source Document References
Information about the Forest Blizzard Threat Actor was read from the documents corpus below. This display is limited to 20 results, create a free account to see more
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DARKReading
5 days ago
CERT-EU
9 months ago
SecurityIntelligence.com
7 months ago
Securityaffairs
7 months ago
Securityaffairs
7 months ago
Securityaffairs
7 months ago
BankInfoSecurity
7 months ago
Securityaffairs
7 months ago
Trend Micro
7 months ago
Securityaffairs
7 months ago
BankInfoSecurity
7 months ago
DARKReading
7 months ago
InfoSecurity-magazine
7 months ago
Securityaffairs
7 months ago
CERT-EU
9 months ago
CERT-EU
9 months ago
CERT-EU
9 months ago
CERT-EU
9 months ago
CERT-EU
9 months ago
CERT-EU
9 months ago