UNC2452

UNC2452, also known as Midnight Blizzard, Cozy Bear, APT29, and Nobelium, is a sophisticated threat actor responsible for several high-profile cyber attacks. The group gained notoriety in December 2020 when it compromised SolarWinds' supply chain, an event tracked by Mandiant, a leading cybersecurity firm. After extensive evaluation and comparison, Mandiant concluded that UNC2452's activities could be attributed to APT29, a notorious hacking group. This conclusion significantly expanded our understanding of APT29, highlighting the group's evolution into a disciplined, highly skilled entity with advanced operational security measures aimed at intelligence collection. The group has targeted various sectors globally, including governmental agencies, higher education, defense, non-governmental organizations, IT services, technology, discrete manufacturing, and media sectors, with a particular focus on the UK, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Microsoft reported a tenfold increase in password-spraying attempts against its accounts in February, indicating an escalation in the group's activities. UNC2452 (APT29) is suspected of gaining access to Microsoft’s source code repositories and internal systems, potentially laying the groundwork for future attacks by accumulating information on potential targets. Merging UNC2452 into APT29 has allowed for a deeper understanding of the group's evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). The group has refined its technical skills to bypass security controls, blend in with victim environments, and hinder detection across all aspects of its operations. For instance, UNC2452 used stolen Microsoft 365 instances to send Teams messages masquerading as IT support staff communications, attempting to steal account credentials. To counter such threats, Mandiant provides detailed detection methods and configuration recommendations in its UNC2452 Microsoft 365 Hardening Guide.