Description

According to Microsoft, Spear phishing attacks targeting high-profile employees of research organizations and universities across Europe and the United States are being spearheaded by Iranian-backed state hackers, by pushing new back door malware. A subgroup of APT35 Iranian cyberespionage group, also known as Charming Kitten and Phosphorus, sent custom-tailored and difficult-to-detect phishing emails via previously compromised accounts. As of November 2023, Microsoft has observed a distinct subset of Mint Sandstorm (PHOSPHORUS) affecting university and research organizations in Belgium, France, Gaza, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States that target high-profile Middle Eastern affairs researchers. A new custom backdoor called MediaPl was used in a handful of cases by Mint Sandstorm in order to trick targets into downloading malicious files. The MediaPl malware communicates with its command-and-control servers (C2) via encrypted channels and is designed to masquerade as Windows Media Player. It is encrypted using AES CBC and encoded using Base64, and the compromised variant can automatically terminate, temporarily stop, retry C2 communications, and run commands via popen. In second, Using PowerShell-based backdoor malware called MischiefTut, attackers can drop additional malware and gather reconnaissance data on hacked computers. APT35 subgroup targets high-value individuals for data theft, focusing on experts aligned with Iranian interests. Microsoft notes their interest in those influencing intelligence and policy. The campaign, tied to the Israel-Hamas war, seeks varied perspectives. Between March 2021 and June 2022, APT35 hit various sectors, deploying unknown Sponsor malware in 34 breaches. They also used new NokNok malware for macOS. Simultaneously, APT33 engaged in global password spray attacks on defense organizations since February 2023 and attempted breaches with FalseFont malware.