Iranian Homeland Justice Group Targets Global Embassies in Phishing Campaign
Summary
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An Iranian-aligned group, Homeland Justice, has conducted a coordinated, multi-wave spear-phishing campaign targeting embassies and consulates in Europe and other regions. The campaign involves sending spear-phishing emails disguised as legitimate diplomatic communications to deploy malware. The phishing emails exploit geopolitical tensions and use compromised email accounts to send malicious Microsoft Word documents. The malware establishes persistence, contacts a command-and-control server, and harvests system information. The campaign is part of a broader regional espionage effort aimed at diplomatic and governmental entities during a time of heightened geopolitical tension. The campaign began on August 19, 2025, and targeted around four dozen embassies, consulates, and government ministries globally, as well as various international organizations. The campaign is assessed to have concluded shortly after it began, with the attackers' command-and-control infrastructure appearing inactive.
Timeline
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04.09.2025 09:00 đ° 1 articles
Detailed Insights into the Homeland Justice Phishing Campaign
The campaign began on August 19, 2025, with the first email sent from a compromised account belonging to the Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris. The phishing emails were sent through a NordVPN exit node in Jordan to mask their origin. The malicious payload was hidden in the victim's Documents folder with a ".log" extension and included a function called "laylay" to delay execution and evade detection. The final payload, "sysProcUpdate," gathered basic system information for potential follow-on activity. The campaign targeted around four dozen embassies, consulates, and government ministries globally, as well as various international organizations. The campaign is assessed to have concluded shortly after it began, with the attackers' command-and-control infrastructure appearing inactive.
Show sources
- Iran MOIS Phishes 50+ Embassies, Ministries, Int'l Orgs â www.darkreading.com â 04.09.2025 09:00
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03.09.2025 13:30 đ° 1 articles
Homeland Justice Group Targets Global Embassies in Phishing Campaign
An Iranian-aligned group, Homeland Justice, has conducted a coordinated, multi-wave spear-phishing campaign targeting embassies and consulates in Europe and other regions. The campaign involves sending spear-phishing emails disguised as legitimate diplomatic communications to deploy malware. The phishing emails exploit geopolitical tensions and use compromised email accounts to send malicious Microsoft Word documents. The malware establishes persistence, contacts a command-and-control server, and harvests system information. The campaign is part of a broader regional espionage effort aimed at diplomatic and governmental entities during a time of heightened geopolitical tension.
Show sources
- Iranian Hackers Exploit 100+ Embassy Email Accounts in Global Phishing Targeting Diplomats â thehackernews.com â 03.09.2025 13:30
Information Snippets
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The campaign involves spear-phishing emails with themes related to geopolitical tensions between Iran and Israel.
First reported: 03.09.2025 13:30đ° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- Iranian Hackers Exploit 100+ Embassy Email Accounts in Global Phishing Targeting Diplomats â thehackernews.com â 03.09.2025 13:30
- Iran MOIS Phishes 50+ Embassies, Ministries, Int'l Orgs â www.darkreading.com â 04.09.2025 09:00
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The emails contain malicious Microsoft Word documents that exploit macros to deploy malware.
First reported: 03.09.2025 13:30đ° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- Iranian Hackers Exploit 100+ Embassy Email Accounts in Global Phishing Targeting Diplomats â thehackernews.com â 03.09.2025 13:30
- Iran MOIS Phishes 50+ Embassies, Ministries, Int'l Orgs â www.darkreading.com â 04.09.2025 09:00
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The malware establishes persistence, contacts a command-and-control server, and harvests system information.
First reported: 03.09.2025 13:30đ° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- Iranian Hackers Exploit 100+ Embassy Email Accounts in Global Phishing Targeting Diplomats â thehackernews.com â 03.09.2025 13:30
- Iran MOIS Phishes 50+ Embassies, Ministries, Int'l Orgs â www.darkreading.com â 04.09.2025 09:00
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The campaign targeted embassies, consulates, and international organizations across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
First reported: 03.09.2025 13:30đ° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- Iranian Hackers Exploit 100+ Embassy Email Accounts in Global Phishing Targeting Diplomats â thehackernews.com â 03.09.2025 13:30
- Iran MOIS Phishes 50+ Embassies, Ministries, Int'l Orgs â www.darkreading.com â 04.09.2025 09:00
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At least some of the emails originated from a hacked mailbox belonging to the Oman Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris.
First reported: 03.09.2025 13:30đ° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- Iranian Hackers Exploit 100+ Embassy Email Accounts in Global Phishing Targeting Diplomats â thehackernews.com â 03.09.2025 13:30
- Iran MOIS Phishes 50+ Embassies, Ministries, Int'l Orgs â www.darkreading.com â 04.09.2025 09:00
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The campaign involved 104 unique compromised addresses belonging to officials and pseudo-government entities.
First reported: 03.09.2025 13:30đ° 2 sources, 2 articlesShow sources
- Iranian Hackers Exploit 100+ Embassy Email Accounts in Global Phishing Targeting Diplomats â thehackernews.com â 03.09.2025 13:30
- Iran MOIS Phishes 50+ Embassies, Ministries, Int'l Orgs â www.darkreading.com â 04.09.2025 09:00
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