Microsoft Threat Intelligence has discovered a cluster of worldwide cloud abuse activity conducted by a threat actor we track as Void Blizzard, who we assess with high confidence is Russia-affiliated and has been active since at least April 2024.
Microsoft is publishing for the first time our research into a subgroup within the Russian state actor Seashell Blizzard and its multiyear initial access operation, tracked by Microsoft Threat Intelligence as the “BadPilot campaign”.
In mid-November 2024, Microsoft Threat Intelligence observed the Russian threat actor we track as Star Blizzard sending their typical targets spear-phishing messages, this time offering the supposed opportunity to join a WhatsApp group.
Retain Microsoft Security Experts
Microsoft Security Experts are now available to strengthen your team with managed security services. Learn how to defend against threats with security experts.
Since January 2024, Microsoft has observed Secret Blizzard using the tools or infrastructure of other threat groups to attack targets in Ukraine and download its custom backdoors Tavdig and KazuarV2.
Microsoft has observed Secret Blizzard compromising the infrastructure and backdoors of the Pakistan-based threat actor we track as Storm-0156 for espionage against the Afghanistan government and Indian Army targets.
Since October 22, 2024, Microsoft Threat Intelligence has observed Russian threat actor Midnight Blizzard sending a series of highly targeted spear-phishing emails to individuals in government, academia, defense, non-governmental organizations, and other sectors.
Since 2019, Forest Blizzard has used a custom post-compromise tool to exploit a vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler service that allows elevated permissions.
Modernize your Security Operations Center with Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM solution powered by AI and automation that delivers intelligent security analytics across your entire enterprise.
Microsoft, in collaboration with OpenAI, is publishing research on emerging threats in the age of AI, focusing on identified activity associated with known threat actors Forest Blizzard, Emerald Sleet, Crimson Sandstorm, and others.
The Microsoft security team detected a nation-state attack on our corporate systems on January 12, 2024, and immediately activated our response process to investigate, disrupt malicious activity, mitigate the attack, and deny the threat actor further access.
Microsoft Threat Intelligence continues to track and disrupt malicious activity attributed to a Russian state-sponsored actor we track as Star Blizzard, who has continuously improved their detection evasion capabilities while remaining focused on email credential theft against targets.
At the CYBERWARCON 2023 conference, Microsoft and LinkedIn analysts are presenting several sessions detailing analysis across multiple sets of threat actors and related activity, demonstrating Microsoft Threat Intelligence’s ongoing efforts to track threat actors, protect customers, and share information with the wider security community.