MuddyWater strikes Israel with advanced MuddyViper malware
Iran-linked threat actor MuddyWater targeted multiple Israeli sectors with a new MuddyViper backdoor in recent attacks. ESET researchers uncovered a new MuddyWater campaign targeting Israeli organizations and one confirmed Egyptian target. The Iran-linked APT group MuddyWater (aka SeedWorm, TEMP.Zagros, Mango Sandstorm, TA450, and Static Kitten) deployed custom tools to evade defenses and maintain persistence. They used a Fooder loader, […]
Pierluigi Paganini
December 02, 2025
ESET researchers uncovered a new MuddyWater campaign targeting Israeli organizations and one confirmed Egyptian target. The Iran-linked APT group MuddyWater (aka SeedWorm, TEMP.Zagros, Mango Sandstorm, TA450, and Static Kitten) deployed custom tools to evade defenses and maintain persistence. They used a Fooder loader, disguised as a Snake game, to run the MuddyViper backdoor that steals system info, credentials, browser data, and allows file execution and exfiltration.
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