An Iranian state-aligned threat actor, CL-STA-1178, has been conducting the Blinder Tunnel campaign since November 2025, targeting Iraqi critical infrastructure by impersonating the Dubai Airports IT department. The campaign delivers trojanized coding challenges that deploy ShelbyLoader V2 malware through a multi-stage attack chain involving AppDomainManager hijacking and DLL sideloading. The attackers use GitHub API infrastructure for command-and-control communications, including repositories and issues as fallback channels. Operational security errors revealed links to a separate credential harvesting campaign targeting Israeli entities with conflict-themed Google Drive lures in mid-2026.
The 13-country effort, named Operation Ramz, targeted cyber threats in the Middle East and North Africa region. The post 201 Arrested in Crackdown on Cybercrime in Middle East, North Africa appeared first on SecurityWeek .
The ongoing conflict involving Iran has led to increased cyber espionage activities targeting Middle Eastern governments. Multiple state-sponsored threat actors, including those from China, Belarus, Pakistan, and Hamas, have been observed conducting campaigns using the conflict as a lure. These actors are employing various tactics such as credential phishing, malware delivery, and compromised accounts to target government and diplomatic organizations. The campaigns often use war-themed content to engage targets and gather intelligence on the conflict's trajectory and geopolitical implications. Iranian threat actors continue their traditional espionage efforts alongside disruptive campaigns in support of war efforts. This heightened activity reflects both opportunistic use of topical lures and shifts in intelligence collection priorities for various state-aligned groups.
A suspected Iran-nexus threat actor, dubbed Dust Specter, targeted Iraqi government officials in January 2026. The campaign involved impersonating Iraq's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and using compromised government infrastructure to host malicious payloads. Two attack chains were identified, utilizing previously undocumented malware including SPLITDROP, TWINTASK, TWINTALK, and GHOSTFORM. The malware employed creative evasion techniques, leveraged generative AI for development, and used file-based polling mechanisms for command execution. The campaign also incorporated ClickFix-style attacks and social engineering lures. Attribution to an Iran-nexus group is based on code similarities, victimology, and overlapping tactics with known Iranian APT groups.
MuddyWater APT has launched Operation Olalampo, targeting organizations in the MENA region. The campaign involves new malware variants, including a Rust backdoor called CHAR, downloaders GhostFetch and HTTP_VIP, and an advanced backdoor GhostBackDoor. Notably, the group is using Telegram bots for command-and-control, revealing insights into their post-exploitation tactics. The operation, first observed on January 26, 2026, shows tactical and technical overlaps with previous MuddyWater activities. Key discoveries include potential AI-assisted malware development and infrastructure reuse dating back to October 2025. The campaign aligns with ongoing geopolitical tensions and provides valuable information on the threat actor's evolving techniques.
This report analyzes the recent activities of the MuddyWater APT group, which primarily targets organizations in the Middle East. The group employs sophisticated spear-phishing techniques, often impersonating legitimate entities and using malicious documents to gain initial access. Their attacks focus on long-term infiltration and intelligence gathering rather than immediate disruption. The report details several attack cases from 2019 to 2026, highlighting the group's evolving tactics, including the abuse of legitimate remote management tools and the use of Rust-based malware. The analysis emphasizes the importance of endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions in identifying and mitigating these threats, as traditional perimeter-based security measures prove insufficient against such advanced persistent threats.
