Hamas-Linked Hacker Group Accused of Orchestrating Attacks in Palestine & Egypt

A Hamas-linked hacker group has been accused of orchestrating cyber attacks across Palestine and Egypt.

This is the first time researchers have been able to pin down the group and put together a detailed analysis of its malware.

The attacks were first discovered by ESET– a cybersecurity company based in Slovakia. It found that the group was attacking through Trojanized Android apps, mostly messaging apps. Five such attacks targeting Palestine and Egypt have already been discovered.

How Does the Malware Work?

Here’s how the malware works:

Step 1: Malicious Apps

The compromised apps are mostly distributed through websites that impersonate real apps.

Step 2: Download Path

Once the victim clicks on the download link, myScript.js, hosted on the same server, is executed. It creates the correct download path for the malicious file. This is where the first stage ends.

Step 3: Data Exfiltration

Now in the second stage, data exfiltration begins. Analysts at ESET found that these hackers were able to extract all sorts of information such as device location, messages, clipboard data, video recordings, and more.

In some cases, the criminals were also able to gain control over the data by taking pictures and recording audio.

A Little About Arid Viper

Arid Viper has several other names. You might know it as Desert Falcons, APT-C-23, or Two-tailed Scorpion.

The cyber group has been active for more than a decade now and is known for mostly targeting countries in the Middle East. Israel and Palestine are its primary targets but its reach goes beyond that.

The group has been linked to Hamas–a Palestinian militant group– but no solid evidence has been found of this connection. ESET researchers also didn’t find any government connection with the group.

The Hamas-Israel war has brought a wave of social media misinformation with it. From false war scenes and deepfake videos to conspiracy theories and malign influences, almost all social media platforms are plagued with disinformation.

The EU had issued warnings to social media giants TikTok and Meta, warning them to combat the issue at the earliest. X’s content moderation regulations also received a lot of backlash for its inadequacies.

Although the misinformation seems to have subsided during the last few months, these cyberattacks still plague the internet atmosphere in the Middle East.