All news with #spear-phishing tag

Star Blizzard Targets Reporters Without Borders in Phishing

📧 Sekoia.io researchers have identified a fresh wave of spear-phishing linked to the Russia-nexus intrusion set Star Blizzard (aka Calisto/ColdRiver) that targeted NGOs including Reporters Without Borders in May–June 2025. Operators impersonated trusted contacts via ProtonMail, using a custom Adversary-in-the-Middle kit to harvest credentials and relay 2FA prompts through compromised sites and redirectors. Observed tactics included a ZIP disguised as a .pdf, decoy encrypted PDFs instructing victims to open files in ProtonDrive, injected JavaScript to lock password-field focus, and an API-driven workflow for handling CAPTCHA and 2FA challenges, underscoring continued risk to Western organizations supporting Ukraine.

Nimbus Manticore Expands into Europe Targeting Defense

🛡️ Check Point Research reports that Iranian-linked threat actor Nimbus Manticore is expanding operations into Europe, focusing on the defense, telecom and aerospace sectors. The group uses fake job portals and targeted spear‑phishing to deliver malicious files disguised as hiring materials while impersonating prominent aerospace firms. Evolving toolsets such as MiniJunk and MiniBrowse enable stealthy data theft and persistent access, consistent with intelligence-collection objectives linked to IRGC priorities.