In cooperation with external partners, Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) observed a Russia state-sponsored cyber threat actor impersonating the U.S. Department of State.
From at least April through early June 2025, this actor targeted prominent academics and critics of Russia, often using extensive rapport building and tailored lures to convince the target to set up application specific passwords (ASPs). Once the target shares the ASP passcode, the attackers establish persistent access to the victim’s mailbox. Two distinct campaigns are detailed in this post. This activity aligns with Citizen Lab’s recent research on social engineering attacks against ASPs, another useful resource for high risk users. GTIG tracks this activity as UNC6293, a likely Russia state-sponsored cyber actor we assess with low confidence is associated with APT29 / ICECAP.
Read more…
Source: Google Threat Intelligence Group
Sign up for our Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox.
Related:
- French naval officer’s jogging app logs Inadvertently expose France’s aircraft carrier location
March 20, 2026
The relentless pursuit of a personal best is a common motivator for athletes, but for one French naval officer, a routine morning run has now been linked to a national security scare. While the French military typically prides itself on stealth and strategic positioning, the precise coordinates of its flagship were recently broadcast worldwide via a ...
- Cambodia: 9 foreigners nabbed in Phnom Penh cyber-scam raid
March 20, 2026
Eight Chinese nationals and one Malaysian were detained during a raid on a gated community in the capital on Wednesday. A joint force from the Phnom Penh Administrative Unified Command raided a property in the Borey Peng Huot development, located in the Niroth area of Chbar Ampov district. During the operation, officers seized 247 mobile phones ...
- Hasta la vista, Hastalamuerte: An Overview of The Gentlemen’s TTPs
March 19, 2026
In face of so many new ransomware brands, and still remaining RaaS operations such as Medusa, Qilin, and DragonForce, prioritizing is not an easy task to accomplish. However, despite the amount of groups conducting attacks for extortion, the TTPs do not change that much; unless we are talking about Cl0p, Akira and other groups that ...
- CISA urges companies to secure Microsoft Intune systems after hackers mass-wipe Stryker devices
March 19, 2026
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has warned companies to secure systems for managing their fleets of employee devices after pro-Iran hackers broke into medical tech giant Stryker and mass-wiped thousands of its phones, tablets, and computers. The agency said on Thursday that it was urging companies to take action and confirmed it was ...
- DarkSword: Second iOS exploit chain in a month targeting iPhone users
March 18, 2026
A new exploit kit targeting iPhone users and stealing their sensitive data is being abused by “multiple” spyware vendors and suspected nation-state goons, security researchers said on Wednesday. The exploit kit, called DarkSword, has been in use since at least November 2025. It supports iOS versions 18.4 through 18.7, and exploits six different vulnerabilities to deploy ...
- Over 29 million secrets were leaked on GitHub in 2025, and AI really isn’t helping
March 18, 2026
Vibe-coding may seem great for quickly shipping products, but inexperienced developers are leaving gaping cybersecurity holes that are causing breaches and exposures left and right. This is according to GitGuardian’s latest report, the “State of Secrets Sprawl” paper that was just released. In the research document, the organization said 2025 was the year when AI adoption ...