Forest Blizzard

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.