APT28 (Fancy Bear)
Russian GRU-linked advanced persistent threat (APT28 / Fancy Bear / Forest Blizzard) active since at least 2004, targeting governments, militaries and media via phishing and zero-day exploits.
APT28 (Fancy Bear) is a Russia GRU-aligned threat group that has been compromising government, military and media targets since 2004, favoring spearphishing, credential theft and zero-day exploitation.
Definition
State-sponsored cyber espionage group attributed to Unit 26165 of Russia's GRU; masterminds of campaigns such as the 2016 DNC intrusions and frequent zero-day use against diplomatic and defense targets.
Why It Matters / Profile
- Sponsorship: Russian Federation (GRU, Unit 26165)
- Active since: 2004
- Aliases: Fancy Bear, Sofacy, Forest Blizzard, Sednit
Current Status
- Review status: published
- Last updated: 2026-08-26
- Evidence: 2 source(s) · 4 technique(s)
- Confidence: 90%
ATT&CK Techniques
Targets
- Government agencies
- Defense
- Media
- Diplomats
Timeline
- 2004-01-01 — Attributed origins (approx.)
- 2016-03-01 — 2016 DNC intrusion campaign
- 2023-01-01 — Zero-day and cloud-targeted operations continue
Sources
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- Evidence — assertions mapped to verifiable references.
- Timeline — events in chronological order.
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- Sources — NVD, CISA KEV, MITRE ATT&CK, vendor advisories.
- Notes — your own observations and working hypotheses.
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