Amazon disrupts watering hole campaign by Russia's APT29

SUMMARY :

Amazon's threat intelligence team has uncovered and disrupted a watering hole campaign conducted by APT29, a Russian threat actor. The campaign involved compromising legitimate websites to redirect visitors to malicious infrastructure, tricking users into authorizing attacker-controlled devices through Microsoft's device code authentication flow. This opportunistic approach demonstrates APT29's evolving tactics in scaling their operations for intelligence collection. The group employed techniques such as injecting obfuscated JavaScript, rapidly adapting infrastructure when faced with disruption, and using server-side redirects. Amazon's response included isolating affected EC2 instances, partnering with providers to disrupt domains, and sharing information with Microsoft. The article provides recommendations for user and organizational protection against such attacks.

OPENCTI LABELS :

russia,watering hole,credential harvesting,javascript injection,svr,infrastructure adaptation,device authentication


AI COMMENTARY :

1. Introduction: In a significant display of proactive defense, Amazon’s threat intelligence team has successfully uncovered and disrupted a sophisticated watering hole campaign orchestrated by APT29, a Russian threat actor known for its stealthy intelligence collection operations. This campaign exploited legitimate websites to redirect unsuspecting visitors toward malicious infrastructure controlled by the attackers, demonstrating the group’s ability to adapt classic techniques for modern cloud environments with precision and speed.

2. Uncovering the Threat: The investigation began when Amazon analysts noted unusual redirect behaviors on several trusted sites. Visitors were quietly funneled into a chain of server-side redirects that culminated in pages hosting obfuscated JavaScript. Analysis revealed that the scripts were designed to hijack the device code authentication flow used by Microsoft, covertly prompting users to authorize attacker-controlled devices. This watering hole approach allowed APT29 to cast a wide net, harvesting credentials and tokens from a diverse pool of targets without direct phishing emails.

3. Attack Techniques: The core of APT29’s operation hinged on injecting obfuscated JavaScript into compromised web pages. Once executed in a victim’s browser, the code triggered a sequence of server-side redirects, ultimately coaxing the user into supplying a device authentication code. By intercepting or capturing these codes, the attackers could register rogue devices under legitimate user accounts and gain persistent access to sensitive data. The opportunistic use of Microsoft’s device authentication flow highlights APT29’s innovative blend of credential harvesting and token abuse in pursuit of high-value targets.

4. Infrastructure Adaptation: APT29 demonstrated swift infrastructure adaptation when Amazon and its partners began to disrupt their malicious domains. Within hours of takedown efforts, the adversary spun up new domains and IP addresses, reinstating redirects and refreshing the obfuscated payloads. This rapid pivot underscores the group’s investment in scalable server provisioning and domain registration services, enabling them to sustain operations even under sustained pressure from cloud defenders and hosting providers.

5. Amazon’s Response: Amazon’s countermeasures combined technical isolation with strategic collaboration. Affected EC2 instances were immediately isolated and forensically analyzed to trace the full scope of compromise. Concurrently, Amazon worked closely with domain registrars and hosting providers to disable the malicious infrastructure. Intelligence gathered during the investigation was shared with Microsoft and other industry partners to bolster detection capabilities across the ecosystem and prevent further exploitation of the device code authentication flow.

6. Recommendations for Protection: To defend against similar watering hole campaigns, organizations should maintain rigorous web application monitoring and employ real-time threat intelligence feeds. Implementing strict Content Security Policies can reduce the risk of unauthorized script injection, while continuous network traffic analysis helps detect anomalous redirects and command-and-control patterns. Enforcing multi-factor authentication and educating users about unsolicited device code prompts can significantly hinder adversaries’ credential harvesting efforts. Regular collaboration with cloud providers and threat intelligence communities ensures rapid disruption of malicious infrastructure upon discovery.

7. Conclusion: The disruption of APT29’s watering hole campaign by Amazon illustrates the importance of vigilant threat hunting, agile incident response, and cross-industry cooperation. As sophisticated actors continue to refine techniques like JavaScript injection, server-side redirects, and infrastructure adaptation, maintaining a layered defense posture and swift intelligence sharing remain essential to protecting organizations from evolving cyber threats.


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Amazon disrupts watering hole campaign by Russia's APT29