APT34 Toolset, Victim Data Leaked via Telegram

Hacking tools, victim data, and identities of the elite Iranian hacker group APT34, also known as OilRig and Helix Kitten, have been leaked on Telegram for the past month, researchers report.

An unknown victim or group under the alias Lab Dookhtegan has been sharing APT34's hacking tools, as well as data belonging to victims, on Telegram since March 2019. Data exposed included the source code of hacking tools, details on hacked victims (username and password combinations, internal server data), and information on APT34's operations, including web shells and access details on servers from businesses and governments around the world.

Researchers with Chronicle, the cybersecurity division under Alphabet, confirmed the leaked data belongs to APT34. Information came from 66 global victims and indicates a focus on Middle Eastern government agencies, telcos, and transportation firms in addition to organizations based in Asia, researchers report. The data dump is seemingly intended to shame APT34 and expose their targets and tools so they have to build new ones to continue running.

Brandon Levene, head of applied intelligence at Chronicle, says this may end up happening. "It's likely this group will alter their toolset in order to maintain operational status," he wrote in a statement. "There may be some copycat activity derived from the leaked tools, but it is unlikely to see widespread use."

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