“Iran’s Cyber Chess: Unmasking the ‘Scarred Leopard’ Espionage Campaign”

Main Points

• A cyber espionage campaign, linked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), is targeting various sectors in the Middle East.
• The campaign has been active for at least one year and targets financial, government, military, and telecommunications sectors.
• Check Point, an Israeli cybersecurity firm, and Sygnia found the campaign. The firm refers to the threat actor as “Scarred Leopard.”

Cyber Espionage: A Game Iran’s MOIS Loves to Play

Maybe they should consider a career in chess because the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) in Iran has stealthily been running a precise and complicated ‘game’- their cyber espionage campaign. Known to target the heavy hitters such as financial, government, military, and telecommunications sectors, this campaign is apparently not picky with its victims as long as they’re in the Middle East and have been for the past year.

Check Mate!

Like detectives piecing a puzzle together, Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point, with a little help from their friends at Sygnia, discovered this mysterious campaign. They labeled the mastermind behind it “Scarred Leopard.” Whether that’s because they envision this threat actor as a fierce, battle-hardened feline or because one of the guys at the office has a strange sense of humor, we might never know.

Summary

In this high-stakes digital playing field, Iran’s MOIS is a recurring player, running a far-reaching cyber espionage campaign. This campaign is an indiscriminate predator preying on vital sectors in the Middle East, including financial, government, military, and telecommunications sectors. It’s been operating in the digital shadows for at least a year now. But every game has a player, and in this case, the player is called “Scarred Leopard,” whom the sleuths from Check Point and Sygnia discovered. The name might sound like a retired action movie star, but trust me, there’s nothing funny about this cat’s claws.

So remember, in the online jungle, beware of the “Scarred Leopard.” The best defense in this game? A robust cybersecurity strategy because, as we all know, it’s all fun and games until someone loses their data.

Original Article: https://thehackernews.com/2023/11/iranian-cyber-espionage-group-targets.html