Iranian “Charming Kitten” hackers used old Cold War methods to steal tech secrets and plant malware


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:

  • Evolving trends in Iranian threat actor activity – MSTIC presentation at CyberWarCon 2021

    November 16, 2021

    Over the past year, the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) has observed a gradual evolution of the tools, techniques, and procedures employed by malicious network operators based in Iran. At CyberWarCon 2021, MSTIC analysts presented their analysis of these trends in Iranian nation state actor activity during a session titled “The Iranian evolution: Observed changes ...

  • Meet Lyceum: Iranian hackers targeting telecoms, ISPs

    November 9, 2021

    Researchers have provided a deep dive into the activities of Lyceum; an Iranian threat group focused on infiltrating the networks of telecoms companies and internet service providers (ISPs). Lyceum, also known as Hexane, Siamesekitten, or Spirlin, has been active since 2017. The advanced persistent threat (APT) group has been linked to campaigns striking Middle Eastern oil ...

  • Iran struggles to relaunch petrol stations after cyber attack

    October 27, 2021

    Iran struggled Wednesday to restart its petrol distribution system after it was hit by an unprecedented cyber-attack which security officials said was launched from abroad. The unclaimed attack crippled the country’s system of government-issued electronic cards which motorists use to purchase heavily subsidised fuel. Long queues have formed outside petrol stations, angering motorists in a country already ...

  • Iran-linked DEV-0343 targeting defense, GIS, and maritime sectors

    October 11, 2021

    DEV-0343 is a new activity cluster that the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) first observed and began tracking in late July 2021. MSTIC has observed DEV-0343 conducting extensive password spraying against more than 250 Office 365 tenants, with a focus on US and Israeli defense technology companies, Persian Gulf ports of entry, or global maritime ...

  • Govt hackers impersonate HR employees to hit Israeli targets

    August 17, 2021

    Hackers associated with the Iranian government have focused attack efforts on IT and communication companies in Israel, likely in an attempt to pivot to their real targets. The campaigns have been attributed to the Iranian APT group known as Lyceum, Hexane, and Siamesekitten, running espionage campaigns since at least 2018. In multiple attacks detected in May and ...

  • Hackers used never-before-seen wiper in recent attack on Iranian train system

    July 29, 2021

    Researchers with cybersecurity company SentinelOne reconstructed the recent cyberattack on Iran’s train system in a new report, uncovering a new threat actor — which they named ‘MeteorExpresss’ — and a never-before-seen wiper. On July 9, local news outlets began reporting on a cyberattack targeting the Iranian train system, with hackers defacing display screens in train stations ...