Threat ActorHuman reviewed 2026-08-26 · MITRE ATT&CK · ESET · Microsoft

Sandworm

Russia GRU-aligned destructive cyber unit (Sandworm / Voodoo Bear / IRIDIUM) responsible for Ukraine power-grid outages, NotPetya and cyber-physical attacks.

QUICK ANSWER

Sandworm is a GRU-aligned Russian unit specializing in destructive cyber-physical attacks — including the 2015 and 2016 Ukraine power-grid outages and the NotPetya wiper — rather than classic espionage.

Definition

Advanced persistent threat unit attributed to Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU, Unit 74455); known for ICS targeting, wiper malware (NotPetya), and politically aligned destructive campaigns.

Why It Matters / Profile

  • Sponsorship: Russian Federation (GRU, Unit 74455)
  • Active since: 2009
  • Aliases: Voodoo Bear, IRIDIUM, TeleBots

Current Status

  • Review status: published
  • Last updated: 2026-08-26
  • Evidence: 2 source(s) · 4 technique(s)
  • Confidence: 90%

ATT&CK Techniques

Targets

  • Power grid
  • Critical infrastructure
  • Government
  • Media

Timeline

  1. 2009-01-01 — Attributed origins (approx.)
  2. 2015-12-23 — First Ukraine power-grid outage
  3. 2017-06-27 — NotPetya destructive wave

Sources

Start Investigation

Move from reading to investigating Sandworm. The workspace is a structured analysis surface — not a chat — organised as:

  1. Question — what do you need to know about Sandworm?
  2. Evidence — assertions mapped to verifiable references.
  3. Timeline — events in chronological order.
  4. Related Entities — CVE, threat actor, campaign, malware links.
  5. Sources — NVD, CISA KEV, MITRE ATT&CK, vendor advisories.
  6. Notes — your own observations and working hypotheses.

AI assistance is limited to summarising, explaining, and suggesting related evidence. AI never completes your investigation, modifies entity relationships, or generates facts — all published analysis stays human-reviewed.

Recommended Tools

  • IOC LookupSearch OpenTrojan intelligence for indicators attributed to this actor.Look up IOC

Every tool runs passively or locally — inputs are never stored and no target is scanned. Start an investigation on this entity →