Russia’s Midnight Blizzard Blasts Spear-Phishing Attacks
February 22, 2025
Russian threat group Midnight Blizzard unleased spear-phishing attacks on over 100 organizations and thousands of individuals. And since 91% of cyberattacks begin with phishing emails, the success of Midnight Blizzard’s latest spear-phishing campaign is yet to be known. However, you can be sure that they’ll go to great lengths to get any information they can use for their own gain.
Midnight Blizzard’s Methods
An important part of successful spear-phishing, Midnight Blizzard does its homework. They troll social media and networking websites like LinkedIn and others to learn details about their target. They want the email to create trust or a bond with the attacker. These bad actors also represent themselves as credible in their own way, with Microsoft reporting some even claimed to be employees of their company.
Spear-phishing attacks aim to lure a target into clicking on a malicious link, open an infected attachment, provide sensitive information, or otherwise undermine their cybersecurity. When that happens, Midnight Blizzard is ready to pounce on the compromised organization’s network.
The Latest Targets
Microsoft says Midnight Blizzard’s campaign is targeting a similar set of previous victims. In this current spear-phishing effort, “governmental agencies, higher education, defense, and non-governmental organizations in dozens of countries” are the primary targets. These areas include the UK, Europe, Australia, and Japan. But, Midnight Blizzard also has a history of targeting the U.S.
Melting The Midnight Blizzard
Can anything be done to help melt Midnight Blizzard’s campaign? The answer is YES! Here are a few tips to avoid being the next catch on a spear-phishing hook.
- Limit your details, personal or professional, posted on social media sites, including LinkedIn and other networking sites. Phishing attackers look for any details they can exploit to gain your trust, so don’t hand them over.
- Always choose to use MFA (multi-factor authentication). It’s an additional layer of identity proof that can thwart attackers.
- If you can avoid using SMS text or email, take it. Hardware key fobs or authenticator apps are a great way to get around both email and text phishers.
Since we know anyone, anywhere can be spear-phished, keep your guard up. That way you can keep the bad guys where they belong and expose groups like Midnight Blizzard to the sunlight.
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