Threat Profile: NoName057(16)

Since the invasion in February, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has drawn in threat actors worldwide and sparked continuous cyber-attacks targeting both sides. While major threat organizations such as IT Army of Ukraine, Killnet, and Legion Spetsnaz have made their mark, a lesser-known threat actor has been unleashing numerous DDoS attacks against Ukraine and known allies. Tracked as NoName057(16), this threat actor has DDoS’ed major government websites alongside news agencies, telecommunications companies, financial institutions, military, suppliers, and transportation authorities across Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, and Norway. NoName057(16) has stated “we will never harm the innocent, and our actions are a response to the rash actions of all those who have taken an openly hostile position. We [NoName057(16)] have the knowledge, strength, and experience to restore justice where it has been violated”. Malware utilized by NoName057(16) includes the botnet-as-a-service Bobik Remote Access Trojan (RAT), which is often seen in conjunction with the Redline Stealer malware. Network communications attributed to the Bobik botnet trace back to malicious hosting servers in Romania and Russia. The use of the Bobik botnet has grown significantly since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with eight (8) known DDoS attacks in August and already four (4) in September. With the cyber-war between Russia and Ukraine continuing, CTIX expects smaller threat groups such as NoName057(16) to emerge in the coming months and will continue to provide additional contexts on such groups.