27/06/2025
Elite Iranian Hackers Use AI to Attack Israeli Cyber Experts
Cytela has been monitoring cyber attacks attributed to an Iranian state-sponsored threat group known as Educated Manticore, also tracked as APT42, Charming Kitten, and Mint Sandstorm.
This advanced persistent threat (APT) group is widely believed to operate under the auspices of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and has a well-documented history of cyber espionage campaigns targeting high-profile individuals.
The current operation, began in mid-June 2025 following the escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel. The campaign specifically targets Israeli experts using advanced social engineering techniques to exfiltrate sensitive credentials and bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) protections.
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Iranian state-sponsored hackers linked to the IRGC have launched a sophisticated phishing campaign using AI-generated lures to target Israeli experts.