Iran-linked cyber operations are drawing renewed attention for relying less on advanced code and more on human manipulation to gain access to sensitive systems.
At the centre of this activity is Charming Kitten, a group associated with Iran’s security apparatus which has spent years targeting officials, researchers, and corporate employees. Instead of exploiting technical vulnerabilities, operatives frequently impersonate trusted contacts, using carefully crafted messages to trick victims into revealing credentials or installing malicious software.
Read more…
Source: TechRadar News
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Predatory Sparrow: Who are the hackers who say they started a fire in Iran?
July 11, 2022
It’s extremely rare for hackers, who operate in the digital world, to cause damage in the physical world. But a cyber-attack on a steel maker in Iran two weeks ago is being seen as one of those significant and troubling moments. A hacking group called Predatory Sparrow said it was behind the attack, which it said caused ...
- Cyberattack forces Iran steel company to halt production
June 27, 2022
One of Iran’s major steel companies said Monday it was forced to halt production after being hit by a cyberattack, apparently marking one of the biggest such assaults on the country’s strategic industrial sector in recent memory. The Iranian government did not acknowledge the disruption or blame any specific group for the assault on the state-owned ...
- A hacker group said it has broken into the Israeli electricity network
June 16, 2022
A hacker group identifying itself as the “Moses Staff” said it has broken into the Israeli electricity network, vowing to plunge the regime into darkness. The group said on Wednesday it had targeted the Israel Electric Corporation, the largest supplier of electrical power in the occupied territories, as well as Dorad Energy Ltd., which serves customers ...
- Microsoft seizes 41 domains tied to ‘Iranian phishing ring’
June 7, 2022
Microsoft has obtained a court order to seize 41 domains used by what the Windows giant said was an Iranian cybercrime group that ran a spear-phishing operation targeting organizations in the US, Middle East, and India. The Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit said the gang, dubbed Bohrium, took a particular interest in those working in technology, transportation, ...
- Exposing POLONIUM activity and infrastructure targeting Israeli organizations
June 2, 2022
Microsoft successfully detected and disabled attack activity abusing OneDrive by a previously undocumented Lebanon-based activity group Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) tracks as POLONIUM. The associated indicators and tactics were used by the OneDrive team to improve detection of attack activity and disable offending actor accounts. To further address this abuse, Microsoft has suspended more ...
- Iran-linked Cobalt Mirage extracts money, info from US orgs – report
May 13, 2022
The Iran-linked Cobalt Mirage crew is running attacks against America for both financial gain and for cyber-espionage purposes, according to Secureworks’ threat intelligence team. The cybercriminal gang has been around since June 2020, and its most recent activities have been put into two categories. One, using ransomware to extort money, as illustrated by a strike in ...