Hamas-Linked Hackers Probe Middle Eastern Diplomats
A cyber threat group affiliated with Hamas has been conducting espionage across the Middle East. " Wirte " — tracked by Palo Alto's Unit 42 as "Ashen Lepus" — has been spying on regional government bodies and diplomatic entities since 2018. Lately, it's been expanding its interests into countries less directly associated with the Israel-Palestine conflict, like Oman and Morocco. And to match its broadening scope, Wirte has invented a new malware suite with a variety of features useful for evading cybersecurity programs. "When the group first started they used very simple tools — it didn't seem like the people behind the group had a lot of technical know-how," say Unit 42 researchers, who requested anonymity for this article. "However, over the years we've seen this group evolve their tools and techniques; we're now observing an evolution and enhancement in their capabilities." Hamas's New Malware & TTPs T...