Pro-Israeli Hacktivist Group 'Predatory Sparrow' Reappears

A pro-Israeli hacktivist group named Predatory Sparrow re-emerged in the past week.

Citing the current Gaza conflict, last week the group sent the first tweet in more than a year the group, saying: "You think this is scary? We're back. We hope you're following the events in Gaza" — with a link to a report on the US sending fighter planes and warships to support Israel.

Predatory Sparrow is a known threat that researchers believe to be a relatively sophisticated Israeli hacking operation. It has a history of destructive attacks in Iran, designed to embarrass the Iranian government.

According to Cyberscoop, in October 2021 an attack was carried out on an Iranian payment system linked to a national network of fuel pumps, while in June 2022 multiple attacks were carried out on steel facilities apparently in response to unspecified acts of "aggression" carried out by the Islamic Republic.

John Hultquist, chief analyst for Mandiant Intelligence at Google Cloud, said at a press event last week that having taken credit for a series of attacks inside Iran, the group's timely reappearance makes it "certainly a player to watch."