Researchers at Proofpoint have revealed that a cyber espionage group associated with the Iranian government has been engaging in phishing attacks targeting Middle Eastern nuclear weapons experts by impersonating employees of think tanks. The group, known by various names such as TA453, Charming Kitten, or APT35, has a history of targeting government officials, politicians, think tanks, and critical infrastructure entities in the United States and Europe. The recent campaign documented by Proofpoint occurred between March and May of this year. It involved initiating innocuous emails aimed at building a rapport with foreign policy researchers in Western countries.

“Those initial emails were later followed by phishing emails that link to a password-protected DropBox URL, ostensibly to access the research. Instead, it executes .RAR and LNK files and run a PowerShell script that installs a backdoor on the victim’s system, before calling out to a cloud hosting provider for additional malware payloads. Joshua Miller, senior threat researcher at Proofpoint, told SC Media the campaign appears to be extremely targeted: thus far they are aware of fewer than 10 individuals who received phishing emails from the group. Miller said their visibility over the campaign is restricted to data and follow-ups culled from Proofpoint customers, and that none were successfully infected” (SCMagazine, 2023).

In one case the group contacted a media relations representative of an undisclosed U.S. based think tank focused on foreign affairs multiple times in mid-May. The initial email, posing as a senior fellow deputy director of terrorism and conflict at the Royal United Services Institute, requested feed back on an Iranian themed research piece. Proofpoint provided a screenshot of an email, in which the actor, pretending to be the senior fellow deputy of director of terrorism, mentioned a project called “Iran in the Global Security Context”. The email stated that they were studying security issues and evaluating the impact of the Abraham Accords on Iran’s regional role and security in the Middle East and North African region. They expressed interest in having the recipient read their work, claiming it would be a pleasure. The emails received by were spoofed by using external services to deceive victims into believing they were genuine messages from experts. Researchers at Proofpoint have notified RUSI about this activity.

Security Officer Comments:
Charming Kitten’s intent is to gather insights into the thinking and deliberations behind Western policy positions, which inform decisions on nuclear sanctions and diplomatic policies. According to researchers, targeting think tanks and academics provides them with valuable information. While Proofpoint has previously observed various versions of the backdoor employed by Charming Kitten, this instance is the first time they have detected its use specifically targeting Mac computers.

Suggested Correction(s):
Users should always be cautious of individuals or organizations that ask for personal information. Most companies will not ask for sensitive data from its customers. If in doubt, users should verify with the company itself to avoid any potential issues.

Users should always take a close look at the sender’s display name when checking the legitimacy of an email. Most companies use a single domain for their URLs and emails, so a message that originates from a different domain is a red flag.

As a general rule, users should not click links or download files even if they come from seemingly “trustworthy” sources.

Check for mismatched URLs. While an embedded URL might seem perfectly valid, hovering above it might show a different web address. In fact, users should avoid clicking links in emails unless they are certain that it is a legitimate link.

Users should always be on the lookout for any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Legitimate companies will often employ proofreaders and editors who ensure that the materials they send out are error-free.

Users should not be frightened or intimidated by messages that have an alarmist tone. They should double check with the company if they are uncertain about the status of their accounts.

Phishing emails are designed to be sent to a large number of people, so they need to be as impersonal as possible. Users should check whether the message contains a generic subject and greeting, as this can be a sign of a phishing attempt.

Although not every end user has access to advanced anti-phishing software, they can still use the built-in protection of their email clients to filter messages. One example is setting the email client to block all images unless approved.

Legitimate companies will never send confirmation emails unless there are specific reasons for doing so. In fact, most companies will avoid sending unsolicited messages unless it’s for company updates, newsletters, or advertising purposes.

Users should always take the context of an email or message into account. For example, most online accounts do away with viewable member numbers, so users should be wary if they receive emails containing a “member number” for services that generally don’t use them.

It is important to take note of unusual information in the text of the message. Any mentions of operating systems and software that are not typically used by consumers can often be indicators of a phishing attempt.

If it seems suspicious, it probably is. Users should always err on the side of caution when it comes to sending out personally identifiable information through messages and emails.

IOCs:
https://www.proofpoint.com/us/blog/...k-exploring-ta453s-foray-lnks-and-mac-malware

Link(s):
https://www.scmagazine.com/news/