UNC1151 shifts Ghostwriter phishing to Gmail with 2FA theft
UNC1151/Ghostwriter is running an intensive Polish-language phishing campaign against Gmail users since March 2026 that can steal both passwords and 2FA codes.
Sourcecert.pl — open the original
What to check
- Applies to
- Whether this concerns you is not assessed; the names the report mentions are listed below.
CERT Polska reports that UNC1151 (Ghostwriter), a long-running APT group targeting Polish citizens, has pivoted from its traditional focus on domestic webmail providers (Onet, Wirtualna Polska, Interia) to large-scale phishing against Gmail accounts. Since March 2026 the group has run near-daily campaigns using freshly registered domains (often on .icu, .digital, .top TLDs) and abuse of free hosting platforms such as netlify.app, alongside compromised legitimate Polish websites used to host fake login panels without altering the site's homepage to avoid detection.
The phishing emails impersonate official Gmail account-security notices, are written in fluent Polish, and pressure recipients with threats of account suspension. Messages are frequently sent via BCC or from throwaway/compromised Gmail accounts, sometimes repeated in rapid succession against the same target to increase pressure. The most significant technical development is the addition of real-time two-factor authentication interception: after harvesting credentials, the phishing kit automatically attempts login and dynamically presents a form to capture SMS or authenticator-app codes, defeating standard 2FA protections.
Targeting remains broad but deliberate, focused on individuals in political and public life, government and law enforcement personnel, journalists, researchers, and niche professional groups such as translators and court experts, as well as their social and family contacts. CERT Polska notes that while intensity against Polish webmail providers has decreased, UNC1151 has not abandoned those campaigns, indicating parallel, adaptive operations rather than a full pivot.
Mentioned in this report
Detection guidance
Gmail Account-Security Phishing Domain on Rare TLD
A behavioural hunt for the technique in general.
Detects DNS queries for newly registered-style domains on rare TLDs (.icu/.digital/.top) whose name contains Gmail/Google/account/security keywords, matching UNC1151's domain registration pattern for Gmail phishing campaigns. Auto-generated starting point — validate and tune in your environment before deploying. IOC matches can false-positive on shared infrastructure and decay as adversary infrastructure rotates.
title: Gmail Account-Security Phishing Domain on Rare TLD
id: 1a0d5fb5-9460-5f95-934b-5ceaa77ae2ed
status: experimental
description: Detects DNS resolution of domains on rare TLDs (.icu, .digital, .top)
combined with Gmail/Google/account-security related keywords, consistent with UNC1151's
near-daily registration of fresh phishing domains impersonating Google account-security
notices.
references:
- CERT Polska UNC1151/Ghostwriter Gmail phishing report
logsource:
category: dns_query
product: windows
detection:
selection:
QueryName|endswith:
- .icu
- .digital
- .top
QueryName|contains:
- gmail
- google
- account
- security
condition: selection
falsepositives:
- Legitimate services on these TLDs offering account or security-related products
- Security awareness training platforms using similar naming
level: medium
tags:
- attack.t1583.001
- attack.t1584.001
author: Vorant
Behavioural rules are generated from public reporting — validate in your environment before deploying.
Source reporting: https://cert.pl/en/posts/2026/06/UNC1151-gmail-campaign
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