Iran government-backed hackers targeting high-profile people: Report

At a time when Iran is rocked by anti-hijab protests, a new report has claimed that hackers backed by the Iranian government have targeted at least 18 other high-profile activists, journalists, researchers, academics, diplomats, and politicians who are working on Middle East issues. These people have been targeted in an ongoing social engineering and credential phishing campaign, the report added.

US-based non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims the phishing attacks have been carried out by a group known as APT42, which is also referred to as Charming Kitten, and is affiliated with the Iranian government.

“Iran’s state-backed hackers are aggressively using sophisticated social engineering and credential harvesting tactics to access sensitive information and contacts held by Middle East-focused researchers and civil society groups,” said Abir Ghattas, information security director at HRW.