Iranian state-sponsored cyber group TA453, also known by aliases such as APT42 and Charming Kitten, has been actively targeting a high-profile Jewish leader with a sophisticated spear-phishing campaign. The campaign, which began in late July 2024, aimed to deliver a new intelligence-gathering malware known as BlackSmith, featuring a PowerShell trojan dubbed AnvilEcho. This latest operation underscores TA453’s persistent efforts to align its cyber activities with Iranian political and military objectives.
The attack began with TA453 employing social engineering tactics to build trust with the target. Impersonating the Research Director from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the threat actors initiated communication with the victim through seemingly legitimate means. They used a phishing strategy involving a password-protected DocSend URL, leading the target to a document that appeared to be related to a podcast invitation. This initial interaction was designed to establish rapport and make the target more likely to engage with subsequent malicious content.
Once trust was established, the attackers sent a follow-up message containing a Google Drive URL that led to a ZIP archive. The archive included a Windows shortcut (LNK) file, which, when executed, deployed the BlackSmith malware toolkit. AnvilEcho, a component of BlackSmith, was designed to perform extensive intelligence-gathering functions, including system reconnaissance, capturing screenshots, and exfiltrating sensitive data through FTP and Dropbox.
This recent campaign reflects TA453’s ongoing focus on targets of strategic interest to Iran. The group’s activities have historically been aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and have consistently sought to advance Iranian political and military goals. The use of AnvilEcho highlights the group’s ability to evolve its cyber arsenal in response to public disclosures and increased scrutiny, reinforcing the need for robust cybersecurity measures and vigilance against sophisticated phishing and malware attacks.
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