{ "id": "e2f4b855-d67c-4cca-8fcd-e2e7153d9882", "created_at": "2026-04-06T00:10:18.739339Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T03:37:36.600419Z", "deleted_at": null, "sha1_hash": "b82cb3fb1aaa34a799f3be925f1d62223d7f5fac", "title": "Iran Ups its Traditional Cyber Espionage Tradecraft", "llm_title": "", "authors": "", "file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_modification_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "file_size": 120256, "plain_text": "Iran Ups its Traditional Cyber Espionage Tradecraft\r\nBy Kelly Jackson Higgins\r\nPublished: 2019-01-30 · Archived: 2026-04-05 16:39:27 UTC\r\nIran's nation-state hacking machine mostly is known for its destructive cyberattacks: first with Web defacements,\r\nthen crippling distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and most recently, data-wiping. But Iran increasingly\r\nis increasingly honing its operations in pure intelligence-gathering cyber espionage.\r\nCyber spying is nothing new, but over the past few years it has evolved into more of a step one for sophisticated\r\nnation-state hackers to know their targets, burrow in them, and ultimately wage more damaging attacks, such as\r\nransomware, financial crime, data leaks/doxing, intellectual property theft - and in the case of some Iranian\r\nhacking teams such as the one behind Shamoon, data-wiping.\r\nFireEye's research group this week officially christened one Iranian hacking team it has been tracking for more\r\nthan four years, as APT39 - the same group of hackers that Symantec already calls Chafer and CrowdStrike calls\r\nHelix Kitten. The hacking group operates as an old-fashioned cyber espionage operation, but with advanced\r\nstealthy tactics and tools to meet its intel-gathering objectives.\r\nBenjamin Read,  senior manager of cyber espionage analysis at FireEye, says his team spotted APT39 in\r\nDecember of last year waging attacks against the telecommunications, travel, and technology services sectors, in\r\ncampaigns aimed at gathering information and records on individuals. The attackers likely were rooting around for\r\ndetails on phone calls of specific individuals, as well as their travel plans and patterns in support of a broad Iranian\r\ngovernment espionage operation, he says.\r\nAPT39, unlike its counterparts in Iran that wage influence-peddling, disruption, or destructive cyberattacks,\r\nfocuses specifically on the theft of personal information for use in monitoring, tracking, and surveillance\r\noperations by the nation. \"They're generally stealing data ... in bulk and then processing it\" for usefulness and use,\r\nhe says, adding that FireEye does not have insight into the types of individuals APT39 is after.\r\n\"They're gaining information on the very target itself,\" Jon DiMaggio, senior threat intelligence analyst at\r\nSymantec, says of APT39/Chafer. \"It appears they do have some cooperation with other groups\" in the Middle\r\nEast region, he says. \"That region's groups really play together often, which is one of the big differences in\r\nattacks\" there, he notes.\r\nSymantec by policy doesn't identify nation-state hacking teams by country, but rather, by general region.\r\nUS Intel Community Calls Out Iran\r\nMeanwhile, US intelligence officials see Iran as one of the biggest cyber threats to the US in the next year. Daniel\r\nCoats, US director of national intelligence, in a report yesterday said Iran is among the main hacking adversaries\r\nto target the US in 2019, along with Russia, China, and North Korea. \"The use of cyber attacks as a foreign policy\r\ntool outside of military conflict has been mostly limited to sporadic lower-level attacks. Russia, Iran, and North\r\nhttps://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/iran-ups-its-traditional-cyber-espionage-tradecraft/d/d-id/1333764\r\nPage 1 of 3\n\nKorea, however, are testing more aggressive cyber attacks that pose growing threats to the United States and US\r\npartners,\" according his statement in the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, which\r\nwas given to Congress yesterday.\r\nIran will \"continue working to penetrate US and Allied networks for espionage and to position itself for potential\r\nfuture cyber attacks, although its intelligence services primarily focus on Middle Eastern adversaries — especially\r\nSaudi Arabia and Israel. Tehran probably views cyberattacks as a versatile tool to respond to perceived\r\nprovocations, despite Iran's recent restraint from conducting cyber attacks on the United States or Western allies,\"\r\nthe report said.\r\nAnd like many nation-state groups, APT39/Chafer uses legitimate hacking tools such as Mimikatz and Microsoft\r\napps like Windows Credential Editor, which makes the group difficult to detect. The key to catching them using\r\nlegit tools is monitoring and looking of unusual behavioral trends and usage, DiMaggio notes. \"Anyone can\r\ndownload and use Mimikatz,\" he says. \"A lot comes down to behaviors, targets, the patterns and sequence of\r\noperations, how they get onto the network ... Attribution is getting harder, not easier\" with these types of tools in\r\nuse, he says.\r\nIf a tool is used at an odd time of day, or if a file gets dropped onto the network that hasn't been seen before,  that\r\ncould indicate an attacker is behind the tool, he says.\r\nOther Iranian APTs\r\nFireEye also closely follows other Iranian nation-stage hacking groups - APT33, APT34, and APT35. APT33\r\ntypically targets the defense industrial base, and has waged data-wiping attacks on victims; APT34 (aka OilRig),\r\nwhich may be related to APT39, conducts traditional cyber espionage, but mainly against foreign affairs\r\nministries, Read notes. APT35 also targets the defense industrial base sector, but isn't known for the typical spear\r\nphishing attack in its initial step, for example.\r\nWhat sets APT39 apart from its Iranian counterparts is its more \"personal\" touch of getting information on\r\nindividuals. The group mostly uses the Seaweed and CacheMoney Trojan backdoors, as well as a variant of the\r\nPowbat backdoor, FireEye found. The attackers also employ relatively strong operational security to avoid\r\ndetection; they were spotted running an altered version of Mimikatz that bypasses anti-malware tools, as well as\r\nconducting credential harvesting outside the victim's network.\r\n\"They are a bit stealthier and more careful than other Iranian groups,\" FireEye's Read says.\r\nHowever, so far, he says, Iran hasn't retaliated cyber-wise against the US for withdrawing from the Joint\r\nComprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement, however.\r\nRelated Content:\r\nAbout the Author\r\nhttps://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/iran-ups-its-traditional-cyber-espionage-tradecraft/d/d-id/1333764\r\nPage 2 of 3\n\nEditor-in-Chief, Dark Reading\r\nKelly Jackson Higgins is the Editor-in-Chief of Dark Reading and VP, cybersecurity editorial at Informa\r\nTechTarget, where she leads editorial strategy for the company's three cybersecurity media brands: Dark Reading,\r\nSearchSecurity and Cybersecurity Dive. She is an award-winning veteran technology and business journalist with\r\nthree decades of experience in reporting and editing for various technology and business publications and major\r\nmedia properties. Jackson Higgins was selected three consecutive times as one of the Top 10 Cybersecurity\r\nJournalists in the U.S., and was named as one of Folio's 2019 Top Women in Media. She has been with Dark\r\nReading since its launch in 2006.\r\nSource: https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/iran-ups-its-traditional-cyber-espionage-tradecraft/d/d-id/1333764\r\nhttps://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/iran-ups-its-traditional-cyber-espionage-tradecraft/d/d-id/1333764\r\nPage 3 of 3", "extraction_quality": 1, "language": "EN", "sources": [ "MITRE" ], "references": [ "https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/iran-ups-its-traditional-cyber-espionage-tradecraft/d/d-id/1333764" ], "report_names": [ "1333764" ], "threat_actors": [ { "id": "ce10c1bd-4467-45f9-af83-28fc88e35ca4", "created_at": "2022-10-25T15:50:23.458833Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.419537Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "APT34", "aliases": null, "source_name": "MITRE:APT34", "tools": [ "netstat", "Systeminfo", "PsExec", "SEASHARPEE", "Tasklist", "Mimikatz", "POWRUNER", "certutil" ], "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "62947fad-14d2-40bf-a721-b1fc2fbe5b5d", "created_at": "2025-08-07T02:03:24.741594Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.653394Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "COBALT HICKMAN", "aliases": [ "APT39 ", "Burgundy Sandstorm ", "Chafer ", "ITG07 ", "Remix Kitten " ], "source_name": "Secureworks:COBALT HICKMAN", "tools": [ "MechaFlounder", "Mimikatz", "Remexi", "TREKX" ], "source_id": "Secureworks", "reports": null }, { "id": "a63c994f-d7d6-4850-a881-730635798b90", "created_at": "2025-08-07T02:03:24.788883Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.785146Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "COBALT TRINITY", "aliases": [ "APT33 ", "Elfin ", "HOLMIUM ", "MAGNALIUM ", "Peach Sandstorm ", "Refined Kitten ", "TA451 " ], "source_name": "Secureworks:COBALT TRINITY", "tools": [ "AutoCore", "Cadlotcorg", "Dello RAT", "FalseFont", "Imminent Monitor", "KDALogger", "Koadic", "NanoCore", "NetWire", "POWERTON", "PoshC2", "Poylog", "PupyRAT", "Schoolbag" ], "source_id": "Secureworks", "reports": null }, { "id": "d8af157e-741b-4933-bb4a-b78490951d97", "created_at": "2023-01-06T13:46:38.748929Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.087356Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "APT35", "aliases": [ "COBALT MIRAGE", "Agent Serpens", "Newscaster Team", "Magic Hound", "G0059", "Phosphorus", "Mint Sandstorm", "TunnelVision" ], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:APT35", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "a3687241-9876-477b-aa13-a7c368ffda58", "created_at": "2022-10-25T16:07:24.496902Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.010744Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "Hacking Team", "aliases": [], "source_name": "ETDA:Hacking Team", "tools": [], "source_id": "ETDA", "reports": null }, { "id": "e90c06e4-e3e0-4f46-a3b5-17b84b31da62", "created_at": "2023-01-06T13:46:39.018236Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.183123Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "Hacking Team", "aliases": [], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:Hacking Team", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "cffb3c01-038f-4527-9cfd-57ad5a035c22", "created_at": "2022-10-25T15:50:23.38055Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.258283Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "OilRig", "aliases": [ "COBALT GYPSY", "IRN2", "APT34", "Helix Kitten", "Evasive Serpens", "Hazel Sandstorm", "EUROPIUM", "ITG13", "Earth Simnavaz", "Crambus", "TA452" ], "source_name": "MITRE:OilRig", "tools": [ "ISMInjector", "ODAgent", "RDAT", "Systeminfo", "QUADAGENT", "OopsIE", "ngrok", "Tasklist", "certutil", "ZeroCleare", "POWRUNER", "netstat", "Solar", "ipconfig", "LaZagne", "BONDUPDATER", "SideTwist", "OilBooster", "SampleCheck5000", "PsExec", "SEASHARPEE", "Mimikatz", "PowerExchange", "OilCheck", "RGDoor", "ftp" ], "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "bee22874-f90e-410b-93f3-a2f9b1c2e695", "created_at": "2022-10-25T16:07:23.45097Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:04.610108Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "Chafer", "aliases": [ "APT 39", "Burgundy Sandstorm", "Cobalt Hickman", "G0087", "ITG07", "Radio Serpens", "Remix Kitten", "TA454" ], "source_name": "ETDA:Chafer", "tools": [ "ASPXSpy", "ASPXTool", "Antak", "CACHEMONEY", "EternalBlue", "HTTPTunnel", "LOLBAS", "LOLBins", "Living off the Land", "MechaFlounder", "Metasploit", "Mimikatz", "NBTscan", "NSSM", "Non-sucking Service Manager", "POWBAT", "Plink", "PuTTY Link", "Rana", "Remcom", "Remexi", "RemoteCommandExecution", "SafetyKatz", "UltraVNC", "WCE", "Windows Credential Editor", "Windows Credentials Editor", "nbtscan", "pwdump" ], "source_id": "ETDA", "reports": null }, { "id": "1b3a247f-6186-4482-8b92-c3fb2d767c7d", "created_at": "2023-01-06T13:46:38.883911Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.132231Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "APT39", "aliases": [ "COBALT HICKMAN", "G0087", "Radio Serpens", "TA454", "ITG07", "Burgundy Sandstorm", "REMIX KITTEN" ], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:APT39", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "e3676dfe-3d40-4b3a-bfbd-4fc1f8c896f4", "created_at": "2022-10-25T15:50:23.808974Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.291959Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "Magic Hound", "aliases": [ "Magic Hound", "TA453", "COBALT ILLUSION", "Charming Kitten", "ITG18", "Phosphorus", "APT35", "Mint Sandstorm" ], "source_name": "MITRE:Magic Hound", "tools": [ "Impacket", "CharmPower", "FRP", "Mimikatz", "Systeminfo", "ipconfig", "netsh", "PowerLess", "Pupy", "DownPaper", "PsExec" ], "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "e5ff825b-0456-4013-b90a-971b93def74a", "created_at": "2022-10-25T15:50:23.824058Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.377261Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "APT33", "aliases": [ "APT33", "HOLMIUM", "Elfin", "Peach Sandstorm" ], "source_name": "MITRE:APT33", "tools": [ "PowerSploit", "AutoIt backdoor", "PoshC2", "Mimikatz", "NanoCore", "DEADWOOD", "StoneDrill", "POWERTON", "LaZagne", "TURNEDUP", "NETWIRE", "Pupy", "ftp" ], "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "99c7aace-96b1-445b-87e7-d8bdd01d5e03", "created_at": "2025-08-07T02:03:24.746965Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.640335Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "COBALT ILLUSION", "aliases": [ "APT35 ", "APT42 ", "Agent Serpens Palo Alto", "Charming Kitten ", "CharmingCypress ", "Educated Manticore Checkpoint", "ITG18 ", "Magic Hound ", "Mint Sandstorm sub-group ", "NewsBeef ", "Newscaster ", "PHOSPHORUS sub-group ", "TA453 ", "UNC788 ", "Yellow Garuda " ], "source_name": "Secureworks:COBALT ILLUSION", "tools": [ "Browser Exploitation Framework (BeEF)", "MagicHound Toolset", "PupyRAT" ], "source_id": "Secureworks", "reports": null }, { "id": "75108fc1-7f6a-450e-b024-10284f3f62bb", "created_at": "2024-11-01T02:00:52.756877Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.273746Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "Play", "aliases": null, "source_name": "MITRE:Play", "tools": [ "Nltest", "AdFind", "PsExec", "Wevtutil", "Cobalt Strike", "Playcrypt", "Mimikatz" ], "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "67b2c161-5a04-4e3d-8ce7-cce457a4a17b", "created_at": "2025-08-07T02:03:24.722093Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.681914Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "COBALT EDGEWATER", "aliases": [ "APT34 ", "Cold River ", "DNSpionage " ], "source_name": "Secureworks:COBALT EDGEWATER", "tools": [ "AgentDrable", "DNSpionage", "Karkoff", "MailDropper", "SideTwist", "TWOTONE" ], "source_id": "Secureworks", "reports": null }, { "id": "c786e025-c267-40bd-9491-328da70811a5", "created_at": "2025-08-07T02:03:24.736817Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.752071Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "COBALT GYPSY", "aliases": [ "APT34 ", "CHRYSENE ", "Crambus ", "EUROPIUM ", "Hazel Sandstorm ", "Helix Kitten ", "ITG13 ", "OilRig ", "Yellow Maero " ], "source_name": "Secureworks:COBALT GYPSY", "tools": [ "Glimpse", "Helminth", "Jason", "MacDownloader", "PoisonFrog", "RGDoor", "ThreeDollars", "TinyZbot", "Toxocara", "Trichuris", "TwoFace" ], "source_id": "Secureworks", "reports": null }, { "id": "b23e717c-0b27-47e0-b3c8-4defe6dd857f", "created_at": "2023-01-06T13:46:38.367369Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:02.945356Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "APT33", "aliases": [ "Elfin", "MAGNALLIUM", "HOLMIUM", "COBALT TRINITY", "G0064", "ATK35", "Peach Sandstorm", "TA451", "APT 33", "Refined Kitten" ], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:APT33", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "67709937-2186-4a32-b64c-a5693d40ac77", "created_at": "2023-01-06T13:46:38.495593Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:02.999196Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "OilRig", "aliases": [ "Crambus", "Helix Kitten", "APT34", "IRN2", "ATK40", "G0049", "EUROPIUM", "TA452", "Twisted Kitten", "Cobalt Gypsy", "APT 34", "Evasive Serpens", "Hazel Sandstorm", "Earth Simnavaz" ], "source_name": "MISPGALAXY:OilRig", "tools": [], "source_id": "MISPGALAXY", "reports": null }, { "id": "6b6155e4-94ec-4909-b908-550afe758ad6", "created_at": "2022-10-25T15:50:23.365074Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:05.2978Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "APT39", "aliases": [ "APT39", "ITG07", "Remix Kitten" ], "source_name": "MITRE:APT39", "tools": [ "NBTscan", "MechaFlounder", "Remexi", "CrackMapExec", "pwdump", "Mimikatz", "Windows Credential Editor", "Cadelspy", "PsExec", "ASPXSpy", "ftp" ], "source_id": "MITRE", "reports": null }, { "id": "b6436f7b-6012-4969-aed1-d440e2e8b238", "created_at": "2022-10-25T16:07:23.91517Z", "updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:04.788408Z", "deleted_at": null, "main_name": "OilRig", "aliases": [ "APT 34", "ATK 40", "Chrysene", "Cobalt Gypsy", "Crambus", "DEV-0861", "EUROPIUM", "Earth Simnavaz", "Evasive Serpens", "G0049", "Hazel Sandstorm", "Helix Kitten", "IRN2", "ITG13", "Scarred Manticore", "Storm-0861", "TA452", "Twisted Kitten", "UNC1860", "Yellow Maero" ], "source_name": "ETDA:OilRig", "tools": [ "AMATIAS", "Agent Drable", "Agent Injector", "AgentDrable", "Alma Communicator", "BONDUPDATER", "CACTUSPIPE", "Clayslide", "CypherRat", "DNSExfitrator", "DNSpionage", "DROPSHOT", "DistTrack", "DropperBackdoor", "Fox Panel", "GREYSTUFF", "GoogleDrive RAT", "HighShell", "HyperShell", "ISMAgent", "ISMDoor", "ISMInjector", "Jason", "Karkoff", "LIONTAIL", "LOLBAS", "LOLBins", "LONGWATCH", "LaZagne", "Living off the Land", "MailDropper", "Mimikatz", "MrPerfectInstaller", "OILYFACE", "OopsIE", "POWBAT", "POWRUNER", "Plink", "Poison Frog", "PowerExchange", "PsList", "PuTTY Link", "QUADAGENT", "RDAT", "RGDoor", "SEASHARPEE", "Saitama", "Saitama Backdoor", "Shamoon", "SideTwist", "SpyNote", "SpyNote RAT", "StoneDrill", "TONEDEAF", "TONEDEAF 2.0", "ThreeDollars", "TwoFace", "VALUEVAULT", "Webmask", "WinRAR", "ZEROCLEAR", "ZeroCleare", "certutil", "certutil.exe" ], "source_id": "ETDA", "reports": null } ], "ts_created_at": 1775434218, "ts_updated_at": 1775792256, "ts_creation_date": 0, "ts_modification_date": 0, "files": { "pdf": "https://archive.orkl.eu/b82cb3fb1aaa34a799f3be925f1d62223d7f5fac.pdf", "text": "https://archive.orkl.eu/b82cb3fb1aaa34a799f3be925f1d62223d7f5fac.txt", "img": "https://archive.orkl.eu/b82cb3fb1aaa34a799f3be925f1d62223d7f5fac.jpg" } }