In late 2021, Proofpoint analysts identified a complex attack chain targeting Middle Eastern governments, foreign policy think tanks, and a state-affiliated airline.
Over three months, Proofpoint observed three subtle variations of this attack chain.
Proofpoint attributes these campaigns to TA402, an actor commonly tracked as Molerats and believed to be operating in the interest of the Palestinian Territories.
Based on Proofpoint’s research, TA402 is a persistent threat to organizations and governments in the Middle East, routinely updating not only their malware implants, but also their delivery methods.
After publication of Proofpoint’s TA402 research in June 2021, TA402 appeared to halt its activities for a short period of time, almost certainly to retool.
Proofpoint researchers believe they used that time to update their implants and delivery mechanisms, using malware dubbed NimbleMamba and BrittleBush.
TA402 also regularly uses geofencing techniques and varied attack chains which complicate detection efforts for defenders.
In the recently observed campaigns, TA402 used spear phishing emails containing links that often lead to malicious files.