March 31, 2015
An APT group with its sights on selective targets, most of those in Israel, has been using an elusive malware implant to steal data from groups with state and political interests.
The gang, called Volatile Cedar by researchers at Check Point Software Systems, has been working since 2012 and could have ties to the Lebanese government or a political group operating in the country.
“This is the first time we are aware of cyber capabilities of some kind from an actor in Lebanon. It’s not surprising, a matter of time really before anyone in the government or a major political group developed capabilities in that realm,” said Shahar Tal, vulnerability research manager at Check Point Software Technologies.
Tal said many of the confirmed targets belong to organizations in Israel, as well as neighboring countries, including Turkey. Those targets include defense contractors, telecommunications companies, IT companies, media outlets and educational institutions.