CISA, in collaboration with the UK’s NCSC and other international partners, has released a joint advisory detailing recent tactics employed by Russian SVR cyber actors to infiltrate cloud environments. This advisory serves as a warning to organizations about the evolving strategies used by threat actors to gain initial access into cloud-based infrastructure. With the increasing adoption of cloud services across various sectors, including healthcare and education, the threat landscape has shifted, requiring organizations to bolster their defenses against sophisticated cyber threats.
The advisory highlights how SVR cyber actors, also known as APT29 or CozyBear, have adapted their techniques to target organizations that have transitioned to cloud-hosted environments. Rather than relying on traditional methods like software vulnerabilities, SVR actors have been observed stealing system-issued access tokens and exploiting weak passwords to compromise victim accounts. Additionally, they have engaged in credential reuse from personal accounts and targeted system accounts with password spraying and brute forcing.
These tactics underscore the importance of implementing robust security measures such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password policies to mitigate the risk of unauthorized access to cloud environments. The joint advisory serves as a call to action for organizations to remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding their cloud infrastructure against evolving cyber threats. By staying informed about the tactics employed by threat actors like SVR and implementing recommended security best practices, organizations can better protect their sensitive data and ensure the integrity of their cloud-based systems.
