Charming Kitten threat group targets dissidents in Germany

A German intelligence service agency published a cyber espionage warning regarding the recent activities of the Charming Kitten threat group. According to reports, the notorious threat group allegedly targets Iranian dissident organisations and individuals staying in Germany.

The official report stated that the investigators found concrete evidence of the state-sponsored group attempting to target Iranian oppositions and exiles within the German territory.

 

Charming Kitten, the notorious state-backed hackers.

 

Numerous specialist companies, including Google, describe Charming Kitten as a state-sponsored threat group that primarily executes intelligence-gathering campaigns rather than financially motivated attacks. In addition, researchers suspect that the Iranian regime is funding the group but do not confirm the allegation to avoid conflict with its government.

Based on the publication, the state-backed hackers’ attacks use social engineering tactics to establish trust with their victims. Once the actors gain their targets’ confidence, they will prompt the users to access their link, including credential harvesting capabilities.

Last year, a human rights organisation stated that the Charming Kitten group is the culprit behind a well-funded ongoing international cyberespionage campaign targeting their staff members. The group aimed to deceive their members so they could collect login credentials.

Furthermore, recent research also claimed that most anonymous hackers have traces of Iranian connections, targeting Iranian citizens residing across different nations.

One of the United Kingdom’s domestically focused security service agencies warned everyone that such cybercriminal activities came from Iran. There has also been a campaign that includes kidnapping British or UK-based individuals that identify by these hackers as enemies of the Iranian regime.

Law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity experts expect that the cyber espionage campaign of Charmin Kitten could result in unwanted events, such as loss of life. If the group’s connection to Iran is valid, they may have been collecting information about their targets so the regime could execute whomever they oppose their beliefs.

These cyber espionage campaigns from the notorious state-sponsored threat group could continue for many years since they are not motivated by financial gain and as long as an entity constantly funds their activities.