In a recent joint report by Microsoft Threat Intelligence and Black Lotus Labs, new insights have emerged about “Secret Blizzard,” a sophisticated Russian nation-state cyber actor attacking windows infrastructure using a variety of hacking tools.
Known for its stealthy espionage operations, Secret Blizzard has been using the infrastructure and tools of at least six other threat actors over the past seven years to enhance its intelligence-gathering capabilities.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency attributes Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) to Secret Blizzard, a unique method that leverages the tools and infrastructure of other state-sponsored and cybercriminal actors.
The primary target of this approach is state-level espionage, which includes ministries of foreign affairs, embassies, defense departments, and related organizations worldwide.
They not only conduct a wide range of operations but also aim to establish long-term access to valuable systems for gathering politically significant intelligence.
A significant revelation in the report is Secret Blizzard’s use of the infrastructure of a Pakistan-based espionage group known as Storm-0156, also known as SideCopy, Transparent Tribe, and APT36.
Targeted to facilitate operations in South Asia, this group primarily installs backdoors and collects intelligence.
Microsoft Threat Intelligence and Black Lotus Labs’ collaboration has confirmed that Storm-0156 infrastructure, which has staged data exfiltrated from campaigns in Afghanistan and India, originated the command-and-control traffic of Secret Blizzard.
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Since November 2022, Microsoft Threat Intelligence has observed Secret Blizzard compromising the infrastructure of Storm-0156, a Pakistan-based espionage group.
Secret Blizzard hijacked Storm-0156’s tools, such as CrimsonRAT and Arsenal, to deploy their own malware, including TwoDash, MiniPocket, and Statuezy, while mimicking Storm-0156’s operations through DLL-sideloading and similar filenames.
This access allowed Secret Blizzard to redirect C2 traffic to their own infrastructure and take over Storm-0156 backdoors like CrimsonRAT and Wainscot for further attacks.
- Wainscot: A Golang-based backdoor active since October 2023, capable of executing commands, file transfer, and taking screenshots. While primarily targeting Windows, a Linux variant with expanded features has also been reported.
- CrimsonRAT: A .NET-based backdoor with evolving capabilities, including system info gathering, process listing, file transfer, command execution, and keylogging via additional modules.
Secret Blizzard’s methodology involves deploying multiple backdoors, including the TinyTurla variant and a custom downloader known as TwoDash, to enhance their infiltration capabilities.
In addition, they employ a clipboard monitoring tool referred to as Statuezy, and other malware to bolster their espionage efforts.
- Uploaded files and a distinct username of the uploader
- Affected device information, including IP address, location, operating system version, and installed antivirus software
- Network connection events, duration of the session, and timestamps like the disconnect and connect time
The report highlights Secret Blizzard’s significant impact on global cybersecurity. Through strategic positioning and backdoor deployment, this group has effectively broken into infrastructure in Afghanistan’s government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Directorate of Intelligence.
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