A hacking group that has carried out attacks targeting organizations in Europe, Latin America and Central Asia has been linked to Russia’s military intelligence agency, according to new research.
Microsoft said Wednesday that the group, which it calls Cadet Blizzard, played a significant role at the beginning of Russia’s cyberwar against Ukraine. About a month prior to the invasion, the group deployed WhisperGate malware, which targeted numerous Ukrainian government computers and websites, while Russian tanks and troops were surrounding the Ukrainian borders waiting to start the offense.
Last year, Ukrainian cybersecurity officials along with their allies from the U.K. and the U.S. attributed the WhisperGate attack to units operating under the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU, but they did not disclose additional details.
According to Microsoft’s report, Cadet Blizzard operates independently from other GRU-affiliated hacking groups, such as Sandworm. The group is responsible for destructive attacks, cyber espionage, hack-and-leak operations, and defacement attacks — incidents where hackers modify the visual appearance of a website.
Microsoft considers the emergence of a novel GRU-affiliated actor “a notable development in the Russian cyber threat landscape.” According to the researchers, Cadet Blizzard’s cyber operations align with Russia's wider military goals in Ukraine but also pose a danger to NATO countries that provide military aid to Ukraine.