Gossamer Bear

Threat Actor Profile Updated 2 months ago
Download STIX
Preview STIX
Gossamer Bear, also known as Callisto, Blue Callisto, BlueCharlie (or TAG-53), Calisto, Star Blizzard (formerly SEABORGIUM), TA446, and UNC4057, is a significant threat actor that has been active since 2019. The group primarily focuses on credential harvesting and conducts hack-and-leak campaigns targeting Ukraine and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. Gossamer Bear has utilized compromised WordPress sites to impede attribution of their C2 servers, a tactic shared with other threat actors such as APT29 and Gamaredon. This group targets a wide range of sectors, including international affairs, defense, and logistics support to Ukraine. The report highlights the fact that Gossamer Bear, along with other actors like Frozenlake/Fancy Bear, Frozenvista, and the Belarusian actor Puschcha (UNC1151), have focused on specific types of attacks. While some groups prefer phishing campaigns against Ukraine and NATO countries, Gossamer Bear opts for more disruptive hack-and-leak campaigns, particularly against Ukraine and the UK. They are suspected of using pro-Russia media outlets to launder information acquired through collection operations, showcasing an alarming evolution in their tactics. In conclusion, Gossamer Bear represents a substantial cybersecurity threat due to its evolving tactics, persistent focus on key geopolitical regions, and its ability to impede attribution attempts. Their use of pro-Russia media outlets to disseminate acquired information further exacerbates the threat they pose. As this group continues to target individuals and organizations involved in international affairs, defense, and logistics support to Ukraine, it's crucial to stay vigilant and continually adapt defensive strategies to counter their evolving tactics.
What's your take? (Question 1 of 5)
Help tune the shared Cybergeist dataset, assist your peers, and earn karma. Expand the panel to get started.
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.
IDVotesProfile Description
COLDRIVER
2
Coldriver, also known as Callisto Group and Star Blizzard, is a threat actor believed to originate from Russia. This entity is recognized for its malicious activities including disinformation campaigns, spear-phishing attacks, and the use of custom malware. The group has been associated with the Rus
Callisto
2
Callisto, also known as Gossamer Bear, COLDRIVER, UNC4057, Star Blizzard, Blue Charlie, and SEABORGIUM, is a threat actor linked to the Russian state. This group, which has been tracked by various entities including Microsoft, Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), and Insikt Group, is known for its
Calisto
1
Calisto, also known as BlueCharlie, Blue Callisto, TAG-53, COLDRIVER, Star Blizzard (formerly SEABORGIUM), TA446, and UNC4057, is a threat actor that has been active since 2019. This group targets a wide range of sectors and is particularly focused on individuals and organizations involved in intern
Blue Callisto
1
Blue Callisto, also known as COLDRIVER, BlueCharlie (or TAG-53), Calisto, Gossamer Bear, Star Blizzard (formerly SEABORGIUM), TA446, and UNC4057, is a malicious software program that has been active since 2019. This malware is designed to infiltrate computer systems and devices, often undetected, vi
TA446
1
TA446, also known as the Callisto APT group, Seaborgium, Star Blizzard, ColdRiver, TAG-53, and BlueCharlie, is a threat actor that has been active since at least 2015. This cyberespionage entity has persistently targeted individuals and organizations involved in international affairs, defense, and l
Bluecharlie
1
BlueCharlie, also known as TAG-53, Blue Callisto, Callisto (or Calisto), COLDRIVER, Star Blizzard (formerly SEABORGIUM), and TA446, is a threat actor that has been linked to Russia and has reportedly been active since 2019. The group has been involved in various malicious activities including cybere
Star Blizzard
1
Star Blizzard, also known as Seaborgium or the Callisto Group, is a threat actor linked to Russia's intelligence service, the FSB. The group has been involved in sophisticated cyber-attacks worldwide, primarily using spear-phishing campaigns to steal account credentials and data. Microsoft, which tr
Unc4057
1
UNC4057, also known as ColdRiver, Star Blizzard, Blue Charlie, and Callisto, is a Russian-backed advanced persistent threat (APT) group that has been active since 2019. This group, sponsored by the Federal Security Service (FSB), has been involved in various malicious activities on behalf of the Rus
Miscellaneous Associations
Other elements of context that could aid in the identification of relevance
Ukraine
Blizzard
Malware
Phishing
Wordpress
Remcos
Associated Malware
To see the evidence that has resulted in this association, create a free account
IDTypeVotesProfile Description
SpicaUnspecified
1
Spica is a custom malware developed and utilized by the threat group known as Coldriver. The backdoor software, Spica, was first identified by Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG), which has been tracking its use since as early as September of the previous year. The malware appears to be used in hig
RomComUnspecified
1
RomCom is a type of malware, specifically a Remote Access Trojan (RAT), that has been linked to several cyber-attacks across Europe and North America. It was first identified in spring 2022, when third-party and open-source reports highlighted a potential connection between Cuba ransomware actors, R
SmokeloaderUnspecified
1
SmokeLoader is a malicious software (malware) that has been extensively used by threat actors, particularly those associated with the Phobos ransomware. It functions as a backdoor trojan, often arriving on victims' systems via spoofed email attachments embedded with hidden payloads. Once downloaded,
RhadamanthysUnspecified
1
Rhadamanthys is a malicious software (malware) that has been leveraged by the threat actor group TA547 to target German organizations. The malware, which infiltrates systems through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites, can steal personal information, disrupt operations, or hold data for ransom
RootsawUnspecified
1
Rootsaw, also known as EnvyScout, is a first-stage payload malware extensively used by state-sponsored group APT29 for their initial access efforts in collecting foreign political intelligence. The malware is typically deployed via phishing emails with HTML file attachments or .HTA files, which exec
Associated Threat Actors
To see the evidence that has resulted in this association, create a free account
IDTypeVotesProfile Description
APT28Unspecified
1
APT28, also known as Fancy Bear, is a threat actor linked to Russia and has been involved in numerous cyber espionage campaigns. The group is notorious for its sophisticated tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Recently, NATO and the EU formally condemned APT28's activities, acknowledging the
APT29Unspecified
1
APT29, also known as Cozy Bear, SVR group, BlueBravo, Nobelium, Midnight Blizzard, and The Dukes, is a threat actor linked to Russia. This group is notorious for its malicious activities in the cybersecurity realm, executing actions with harmful intent. It has been associated with several high-profi
Apt44Unspecified
1
APT44, previously known as Sandworm, is a Russian military intelligence hacking team newly designated by Mandiant. The group has been active in conducting campaigns leveraging Sandworm malware since the start of 2023, primarily targeting Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and investigative journalists. APT44'
GamaredonUnspecified
1
Gamaredon, a Russian Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group, has been actively tracked since 2013 and is recognized as a significant threat actor in the cybersecurity landscape. Its primary target is Ukraine, against which it deploys an array of home-brewed malware through malicious documents. The E
TurlaUnspecified
1
Turla, also known as Pensive Ursa, is a sophisticated threat actor linked to Russia that has been active for many years. The group is known for its advanced cyber-espionage capabilities and has been associated with numerous high-profile breaches. According to the MITRE ATT&CK and MITRE Ingenuity dat
Winter VivernUnspecified
1
Winter Vivern is a threat actor group that has recently been active in the cybersecurity landscape. This group, which is believed to align with the interests of Belarus, has been involved in a series of malicious activities targeting different entities. They have notably exploited a zero-day vulnera
FrozenvistaUnspecified
1
None
Associated Vulnerabilities
To see the evidence that has resulted in this association, create a free account
IDTypeVotesProfile Description
Frozenlake/fancyUnspecified
1
None
Source Document References
Information about the Gossamer Bear Threat Actor was read from the documents corpus below. This display is limited to 20 results, create a free account to see more
SourceCreatedAtTitle
Flashpoint
2 months ago
Evolving Tactics: How Russian APT Groups Are Shaping Cyber Threats in 2024
CERT-EU
6 months ago
Russian COLDRIVER Hackers Expand Beyond Phishing with Custom Malware
InfoSecurity-magazine
a year ago
Google Report Reveals Russia's Elaborate Cyber Strategy in Ukraine
CERT-EU
7 months ago
Microsoft Alert: COLDRIVER Credential Theft Rising Again