Iranian intelligence services are engaged in a gigantic counter-espionage operation. It aims to identify people likely to collaborate with countries that the authorities consider enemies. The method consists of creating fake sites that will then phish the information provided by the Internet user. This information could then be exploited by the Iranian regime.
In the occult world of cyber threats, Russia traditionally occupies a prominent place. But since the events of October 7, 2023, other countries have burst onto the espionage scene. Mandiant (Google) has just published the details of a counter-espionage operation linked to Iran. In parallel with the cyberattacks intended to disrupt the American elections, Tehran’s services are seeking to collect as much information as possible on Iranians, both those living in the country and the diaspora, who are likely to have sympathies with enemy countries or even collaborate with them.
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Spotting Human Rights Activists
Among those targeted are those who might want to collaborate with Israel. « The data collected, indicates the press release published by Mandiant, can be used to uncover human intelligence operations against Iran and to persecute any Iranian suspected of involvement in such operations. These include Iranian dissidents, activists, human rights defenders, and Farsi-speaking individuals living in Iran or abroad. Mandiant assesses with high confidence that this campaign was conducted on behalf of the Iranian regime, based on its tactics, techniques and procedures, its themes and its targeting.
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Between espionage and cybercrime
The method chosen is relatively simple. It is based on the creation of fake sites designed to practice phishing. Specifically, the Iranian services used several social media accounts to distribute the addresses of 35 fake recruitment websites containing extensive content in Farsi, including job offers, and lures linked to Israel, such as images of Israeli national symbols, high-tech offices[…]
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- challenges.fr
