London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Undiscovered Iranian ‘Operation GhostShell’ state-sponsored cyberthreat: report

Undiscovered Iranian ‘Operation GhostShell’ state-sponsored cyberthreat: report

A state-sponsored cyber-espionage campaign has been targeting companies globally including those in the U.S., a new report says.

The cyberattacks were carried out by a newly discovered Iranian group dubbed MalKamak, cybersecurity firm Cybereason said in a new report.

The group has been operating "under the radar" since at least 2018, Cybereason said.

Anonymous computer hacker sitting in front of a virtual screen.


In July, Cybereason's investigative teams responded to Operation GhostShell, a "highly-targeted cyber espionage" campaign aiming to steal sensitive information from global aerospace and telecommunications companies mainly in the Middle East but also companies in the U.S., Europe and Russia.

During the investigation, Cybereason’s Nocturnus Team uncovered a previously undocumented Remote Access Trojan, or RAT, which was employed as the primary espionage tool.

A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is malicious code that appears legitimate but is designed to damage a computer network or steal sensitive data. A RAT typically allows the attacker to gain unauthorized remote access for covert surveillance.

"We witnessed the evolution of a malware that started very simple and over time turned into a sophisticated espionage tool," Assaf Dahan, senior director, head of threat research at Cybereason, told FOX Business.

"The RAT itself can conduct reconnaissance and collect information about the users and infected hosts," Dahan said.

The RAT evaded antivirus tools by using Dropbox as cover.

The Dropbox logo is seen in this illustration photo in 2017. The MalKamak threat group allegedly created Dropbox accounts for their command and control purposes.


"The MalKamak threat group … created Dropbox accounts and used them for their command-and-control purposes," according to Dahan.

"Essentially, they used Dropbox to carry out their operations right under the noses of security professionals. This is a clever way to hide in plain sight since Dropbox is a trusted brand -- and traffic to a legitimate site usually will not raise suspicions of certain security products and analysts," Dahan said.

The authors of the malware also implemented a kill function that instructs the malware to delete itself if they believe their operation might be jeopardized.

"It is very likely MalKamak exfiltrated [stole] hundreds of terabytes of data since launching their campaigns in 2018," Dahan said.

The Iranian group behind the attack is possibly connected to other Iranian state-sponsored actors.

"When we compared MalKamak to known Iranian groups, we did find some potentially interesting connections to other Iranian state-sponsored threat actors," Dahan said, adding, however, that this is still speculation and they need more time to make a definite connection.

Cyber security IT engineer working on protecting network against cyberattack from hackers on internet. Recently, an Iranian group called MalKamak has been carrying out cyberattacks.


But the aim is the same: the aerospace and telecommunications sectors are prime targets for Iran, Chris Morgan, senior cyber threat intelligence analyst at Digital Shadows, a San Francisco-based cybersecurity firm, told FOX Business.

"Obtaining sensitive information related to these sectors … could provide Iran with a strategic advantage, which was likely the overall goal of the GhostShell campaign," Morgan said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×