U.S. Cyber Command Links MuddyWater Group to Iranian Intelligence Activities
On Wednesday, U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) officially identified the MuddyWater cyber group as linked to Iran’s intelligence framework, shedding light on their sophisticated tactics and tools employed to infiltrate target networks. This announcement comes amid growing concerns over the escalating threats posed by state-sponsored cyber actors.
The Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF) of USCYBERCOM reported that MuddyWater utilizes a range of techniques to maintain persistent access to victimized networks. Their strategies include side-loading Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) to deceive legitimate programs into executing malware, as well as obfuscating PowerShell scripts, making it difficult for defenders to detect malicious command-and-control operations.
Characterized as part of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), MuddyWater has been under scrutiny for various cyberattacks targeting a diverse array of entities, including governmental bodies, academic institutions, cryptocurrency firms, telecommunications, and the oil sector across the Middle East. The group has operated under several aliases, such as Static Kitten and Mercury, and has been active since at least 2017, reflecting its entrenched presence in the realm of cyber espionage.
Recent attacks attributed to MuddyWater have leveraged the ZeroLogon vulnerability (CVE-2020-1472), exploiting weaknesses in network protocols to gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems. The group has also employed remote desktop management tools, including ScreenConnect and Remote Utilities, to introduce custom backdoors, thereby facilitating further infiltration and data exfiltration.
In a recent report, Symantec’s Threat Hunter Team highlighted a surge in hacking campaigns attributed to MuddyWater, specifically against telecommunications and IT companies in the Middle East and Asia. Utilizing a combination of legitimate software, publicly available malware, and living-off-the-land (LotL) techniques, the group has demonstrated an ability to adapt and refine its methods over time, posing a growing challenge for cybersecurity defenders.
Among the tools in MuddyWater’s arsenal are backdoor programs like Mori and malware known as PowGoop. PowGoop serves as a DLL loader that decrypts and executes PowerShell scripts for establishing communication with remote servers, further enhancing the group’s operational capabilities.
Samples of malware linked to this advanced persistent threat (APT) have been made publicly accessible on VirusTotal, a prominent malware aggregation site. This transparency allows cybersecurity experts to better analyze and understand the nature of the threats posed by MuddyWater.
According to SentinelOne researcher Amitai Ben Shushan Ehrlich, the adaptability of MuddyWater’s techniques remains a pressing concern for cybersecurity professionals. Their reliance on publicly available tools, coupled with an evolving custom toolkit, facilitates increasingly elusive operations, emphasizing the importance of robust defenses against these sophisticated threats.
The ongoing activities of MuddyWater reflect a broader trend of state-sponsored cyber operations aimed at destabilizing and undermining targeted nations, necessitating vigilant cybersecurity measures from organizations across various sectors. As businesses increasingly digitize their operations, understanding these threats and implementing effective security frameworks, such as the MITRE ATT&CK Matrix, will be paramount in safeguarding against potential cyber incidents.
