Amazon Stops APT29 Watering Hole Leverage of Microsoft Device Code
In August 2025, Amazon Security Intelligence teams detected and disrupted a sophisticated nation-state watering hole campaign attributed to the Russian-linked APT29 group. The attackers compromised multiple legitimate websites, redirecting unsuspecting visitors to malicious infrastructure designed to exploit Microsoft's device code authentication flow. By tricking users into authorizing attacker-controlled devices, APT29 was able to gain unauthorized access to victim accounts and sensitive data. The rapid response by Amazon limited the scope of the compromise, but the incident highlights evolving tactics by advanced persistent threats targeting cloud identity systems. This incident is notable for its exploitation of widely used authentication protocols and the opportunistic use of trusted websites for redirection. It reflects a broader escalation in targeted attacks on cloud identities and authentication flows, as well as the sophistication of nation-state threat actors seeking persistent access to corporate and government assets.
Kill Chain