serisec

Category: Iran

  • Fast16 Malware

    Fast16 Malware Researchers have reverse-engineered a piece of malware named Fast16. It’s almost certainly state-sponsored, probably US in origin, and was deployed against Iran years before Stuxnet: “…the Fast16 malware was designed to carry out the most subtle form of sabotage ever seen in an in-the-wild malware tool: By automatically spreading across networks and then…

  • Iran-linked Handala hackers leak US Marines data, send chilling WhatsApp threats

    Iran-linked Handala hackers leak US Marines data, send chilling WhatsApp threats US Marines stationed around the Persian Gulf have been receiving WhatsApp messages from strangers suggesting they call home and make their final goodbyes. Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog. Graham Cluley Go to grahamcluley

  • Iranian hackers breach FBI director’s personal email, and post his CV and photos online

    Iranian hackers breach FBI director’s personal email, and post his CV and photos online It’s not every day that you read that the head of America’s top law enforcement agency has been hacked, but then – these aren’t ordinary times. Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog. Graham Cluley Go to…

  • Smashing Security podcast #460: Never knock on the door of a nuclear submarine base and ask for a selfie

    Smashing Security podcast #460: Never knock on the door of a nuclear submarine base and ask for a selfie A disgruntled data analyst decides that the best response to losing his contract is to steal the entire company payroll database and demand $2.5 million in Bitcoin – signing his extortion emails from a company called…

  • Twitter suspended 800 million accounts last year – so why does manipulation remain so rampant?

    Twitter suspended 800 million accounts last year – so why does manipulation remain so rampant? Elon Musk’s social media site says it suspended 800 million accounts in a year for spam and manipulation – but with state-backed campaigns still flooding the platform, the real question is how many fake accounts remain. Read more in my…

  • Hacked App Part of US/Israeli Propaganda Campaign Against Iran

    Hacked App Part of US/Israeli Propaganda Campaign Against Iran Wired has the story: Shortly after the first set of explosions, Iranians received bursts of notifications on their phones. They came not from the government advising caution, but from an apparently hacked prayer-timing app called BadeSaba Calendar that has been downloaded more than 5 million times…

  • AI-Enabled Influence Operation Against Iran

    AI-Enabled Influence Operation Against Iran Citizen Lab has uncovered a coordinated AI-enabled influence operation against the Iranian government, probably conducted by Israel. Key Findings A coordinated network of more than 50 inauthentic X profiles is conducting an AI-enabled influence operation. The network, which we refer to as “PRISONBREAK,” is spreading narratives inciting Iranian audiences to…

  • Smashing Security podcast #435: Lights! Camera! Hacktion!

    Smashing Security podcast #435: Lights! Camera! Hacktion! When “bad actors” stop being hackers and start being… actual actors. This week, Graham and special guest Jenny Radcliffe play “Hacker or Ham?” (yes, Steven Seagal, we’re looking at you), before diving into a campaign which saw an Iranian gang luring Israeli performers with fake casting calls for…

  • Threat Intelligence Executive Report – Volume 2025, Number 4

    Threat Intelligence Executive Report – Volume 2025, Number 4 This issue of the Counter Threat Unit’s high-level bimonthly report discusses noteworthy updates in the threat landscape during May and June mindimcdowell Go to sophos

  • Iranian Blackout Affected Misinformation Campaigns

    Iranian Blackout Affected Misinformation Campaigns Dozens of accounts on X that promoted Scottish independence went dark during an internet blackout in Iran. Well, that’s one way to identify fake accounts and misinformation campaigns. Bruce Schneier Go to bruce schneier

  • China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea Intelligence Sharing

    China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea Intelligence Sharing Former CISA Director Jen Easterly writes about a new international intelligence sharing co-op: Historically, China, Russia, Iran & North Korea have cooperated to some extent on military and intelligence matters, but differences in language, culture, politics & technological sophistication have hindered deeper collaboration, including in cyber. Shifting…