CopyKittens cyber espionage group linked to Iranian state, says report

July 26, 2017 by Ian Allen

A cyber espionage group that has alarmed security researchers by its careful targeting of government agencies has links to the Iranian state, according to a new report. The existence of the group calling itself CopyKittens was first confirmed publicly in November of 2015. Since that time, forensic analyses of cyber attacks against various targets have indicated that the group has been active since at least early 2013. During that time, CopyKittens has carefully targeted agencies or officials working for Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, the United States, and Germany, among other countries. It has also targeted specific offices and officials working for the United Nations.

Throughout its existence, CopyKittens has alarmed cyber security researchers by its strategic focus on political targets belonging to governments. The group’s methods of operation do not resemble those of most other hacker groups, which are usually crude by comparison. Now a new report by two leading cyber security groups claims that CopyKittens is linked to the Iranian state. The report was published on Tuesday as a joint effort by Japan’s Trend Micro and Israel’s ClearSky firms. The report analyzes several operations by CopyKittens, some conducted as recently as last April. It concludes that CopyKittens is “an active cyber espionage actor whose primary focus [is] foreign espionage on strategic targets”. Additionally, the report suggests that the group operates using “Iranian government infrastructure”.

According to the Trend Micro/ClearSky report, CopyKittens tends to use relatively simple hacking techniques, such as fake social media profiles, attacks on websites, or emails that contain attachments that are infected with malicious codes. However, its members appear to be “very persistent” and usually achieve their goal “despite lacking technological sophistication”. The security report did not directly address the political ramifications of implicating the Iranian government in the CopyKittens’ hacking operations. The Reuters news agency contacted Iranian officials at the United Nations about the CopyKittens report, but they nobody was available for comment.

► Author: Ian Allen| Date: 26 July 2017 | Permalink