Cozy Bear

Cozy Bear (not to be confused with Fancy Bear, Venomous Bear, or Voodoo Bear) is a name that is widely known among both security experts and the media.

Allegedly playing a key part in Russian attempts to influence the 2016 US presidential elections, for one. From its suspected inception back in 2008, the group has targeted many organizations, including governments, think tanks, telcos, energy companies, even cybersecurity firms, in patterns that likely point towards methods of operation mainly employed by state security services. After all, Cozy Bear is one of two state-sponsored hacker groups that researchers have long since believed is linked to GRU, Russia’s premier military intelligence service.

• Allegiance: Russia
• Active since: 2008
• Best known for: 2015 attack on the Pentagon, FireEye hack (allegedly), SolarWinds hack (allegedly), COVID-19 vaccine data theft