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Russian hackers

U.S. Charges 4 Russian Govt. Employees Over Hacking Critical Infrastructure Worldwide

The U.S. government on Thursday released a cybersecurity advisory outlining multiple intrusion campaigns conducted by state-sponsored Russian cyber actors from 2011 to 2018 that targeted the energy sector in the U.S. and beyond. “The [Federal Security Service] conducted a multi-stage campaign in which they gained remote access to U.S. and international Energy Sector networks, deployed […]

U.S. Government Warns Companies of Potential Russian Cyber Attacks

The U.S. government on Monday once again cautioned of potential cyber attacks from Russia in retaliation for economic sanctions imposed by the west on the country following its military assault on Ukraine last month. “It’s part of Russia’s playbook,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement, citing “evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is […]

New Variant of Russian Cyclops Blink Botnet Targeting ASUS Routers

ASUS routers have emerged as the target of a nascent botnet called Cyclops Blink, almost a month after it was revealed the malware abused WatchGuard firewall appliances as a stepping stone to gain remote access to breached networks. According to a new report published by Trend Micro, the botnet’s “main purpose is to build an […]

Ukraine Secret Service Arrests Hacker Helping Russian Invaders

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it has detained a “hacker” who offered technical assistance to the invading Russian troops by providing mobile communication services inside the Ukrainian territory. The anonymous suspect is said to have broadcasted text messages to Ukrainian officials, including security officers and civil servants, proposing that they surrender and take […]

CaddyWiper: Yet Another Data Wiping Malware Targeting Ukrainian Networks

Two weeks after details emerged about a second data wiper strain delivered in attacks against Ukraine, yet another destructive malware has been detected amid Russia’s continuing military invasion of the country. Slovak cybersecurity company ESET dubbed the third wiper “CaddyWiper,” which it said it first observed on March 14 around 9:38 a.m. UTC. Metadata associated […]

Google: Russian Hackers Target Ukrainians, European Allies via Phishing Attacks

A broad range of threat actors, including Fancy Bear, Ghostwriter, and Mustang Panda, have launched phishing campaigns against Ukraine, Poland, and other European entities amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) said it took down two Blogspot domains that were used by the nation-state group FancyBear (aka APT28) – which is attributed […]

Microsoft Finds FoxBlade Malware Hit Ukraine Hours Before Russian Invasion

UPDATE: It’s worth noting that the malware Microsoft tracks as FoxBlade is the same as the data wiper that’s been denominated HermeticWiper (aka KillDisk). Microsoft on Monday disclosed that it detected a new round of offensive and destructive cyberattacks directed against Ukraine’s digital infrastructure hours before Russia launched its first missile strikes last week. The […]

Putin Warns Russian Critical Infrastructure to Brace for Potential Cyber Attacks

The Russian government on Thursday warned of cyber attacks aimed at domestic critical infrastructure operators, as the country’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine enters the second day. In addition to cautioning of the “threat of an increase in the intensity of computer attacks,” Russia’s National Computer Incident Response and Coordination Center said that the “attacks can […]

New Wiper Malware Targeting Ukraine Amid Russia’s Military Operation

Cybersecurity firms ESET and Broadcom’s Symantec said they discovered a new data wiper malware used in fresh attacks against hundreds of machines in Ukraine, as Russian forces formally launched a full-scale military operation against the country. The Slovak company dubbed the wiper “HermeticWiper” (aka KillDisk.NCV), with one of the malware samples compiled on December 28, […]

U.S. Says Russian Hackers Stealing Sensitive Data from Defense Contractors

State-sponsored actors backed by the Russian government regularly targeted the networks of several U.S. cleared defense contractors (CDCs) to acquire proprietary documents and other confidential information pertaining to the country’s defense and intelligence programs and capabilities. The sustained espionage campaign is said to have commenced at least two years ago from January 2020, according to […]

Russian APT Hackers Used COVID-19 Lures to Target European Diplomats

The Russia-linked threat actor known as APT29 targeted European diplomatic missions and Ministries of Foreign Affairs as part of a series of spear-phishing campaigns mounted in October and November 2021. According to ESET’s T3 2021 Threat Report shared with The Hacker News, the intrusions paved the way for the deployment of Cobalt Strike Beacon on […]

Ukraine Continues to Face Cyber Espionage Attacks from Russian Hackers

Cybersecurity researchers on Monday said they uncovered evidence of attempted attacks by a Russia-linked hacking operation targeting a Ukrainian entity in July 2021. Broadcom-owned Symantec, in a new report published Monday, attributed the attacks to an actor tracked as Gamaredon (aka Shuckworm or Armageddon), a cyber-espionage collective known to be active since at least 2013. […]

Experts Find Strategic Similarities b/w NotPetya and WhisperGate Attacks on Ukraine

Latest analysis into the wiper malware that targeted dozens of Ukrainian agencies earlier this month has revealed “strategic similarities” to NotPetya malware that was unleashed against the country’s infrastructure and elsewhere in 2017. The malware, dubbed WhisperGate, was discovered by Microsoft last week, which said it observed the destructive cyber campaign targeting government, non-profit, and […]

Ukraine: Recent Cyber Attacks Part of Wider Plot to Sabotage Critical Infrastructure

The coordinated cyberattacks targeting Ukrainian government websites and the deployment of a data-wiper malware called WhisperGate on select government systems are part of a broader wave of malicious activities aimed at sabotaging critical infrastructure in the country. The Secret Service of Ukraine on Monday confirmed that the two incidents are related, adding the breaches also […]

Ukrainian Government Officially Accuses Russia of Recent Cyberattacks

The government of Ukraine on Sunday formally accused Russia of masterminding the attacks that targeted websites of public institutions and government agencies this past week. “All the evidence points to the fact that Russia is behind the cyber attack,” the Ministry of Digital Transformation said in a statement. “Moscow continues to wage a hybrid war […]

RedCurl Corporate Espionage Hackers Return With Updated Hacking Tools

A corporate cyber-espionage hacker group has resurfaced after a seven-month hiatus with new intrusions targeting four companies this year, including one of the largest wholesale stores in Russia, while simultaneously making tactical improvements to its toolset in an attempt to thwart analysis. “In every attack, the threat actor demonstrates extensive red teaming skills and the […]

U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward for Information on DarkSide Ransomware Group

The U.S. government on Thursday announced a $10 million reward for information that may lead to the identification or location of key individuals who hold leadership positions in the DarkSide ransomware group or any of its rebrands. On top of that, the State Department is offering bounties of up to $5 million for intel and […]

Russian Turla APT Group Deploying New Backdoor on Targeted Systems

State-sponsored hackers affiliated with Russia are behind a new series of intrusions using a previously undocumented implant to compromise systems in the U.S., Germany, and Afghanistan. Cisco Talos attributed the attacks to the Turla advanced persistent threat (APT) group, coining the malware “TinyTurla” for its limited functionality and efficient coding style that allows it to […]

Top 12 Security Flaws Russian Spy Hackers Are Exploiting in the Wild

Cyber operatives affiliated with the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) have switched up their tactics in response to previous public disclosures of their attack methods, according to a new advisory jointly published by intelligence agencies from the U.K. and U.S. Friday. “SVR cyber operators appear to have reacted […] by changing their TTPs in an […]

US Sanctions Russia and Expels 10 Diplomats Over SolarWinds Cyberattack

The U.S. and U.K. on Thursday formally attributed the supply chain attack of IT infrastructure management company SolarWinds with “high confidence” to government operatives working for Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). “Russia’s pattern of malign behaviour around the world – whether in cyberspace, in election interference or in the aggressive operations of their intelligence services […]

US Agencies and FireEye Were Hacked Using SolarWinds Software Backdoor

State-sponsored actors allegedly working for Russia have targeted the US Treasury, the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and other government agencies to monitor internal email traffic as part of a widespread cyberespionage campaign. The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, said the latest attacks were the work of APT29 or Cozy Bear, the […]