Security News > 2023 > August > Charming Kitten Targets Iranian Dissidents with Advanced Cyber Attacks

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has warned of cyber attacks targeting Iranian persons and organizations in the country since the end of 2022.

"The cyber attacks were mainly directed against dissident organizations and individuals - such as lawyers, journalists, or human rights activists - inside and outside Iran," the agency said in an advisory.

The attacks also mirror prior findings from Certfa Lab and Human Rights Watch, which disclosed a credential phishing campaign aimed at human rights activists, journalists, researchers, academics, diplomats, and politicians working in the Middle East around the same time.

The development comes as Sophos revealed a mobile malware campaign targeting customers of four Iranian banks, Bank Mellat, Bank Saderat, Resalat Bank, and Central Bank of Iran, with as many as 40 bogus Android apps designed to steal sensitive information.

"All the apps, which were available for download between December 2022 and May 2023, collect internet banking login credentials and credit card details, and have several other capabilities," security researcher Pankaj Kohli said in a report published late last month.

This includes "Hiding their icons to maintain stealth and intercepting incoming SMS messages which some banks use as part of multi-factor authentication schemes." Also present is a feature to search the infected device for several other apps relating to banking, payment, or cryptocurrency.

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