# MuddyWater: threat group profile

> MuddyWater is an espionage group thought to operate from Iran, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 43 attack techniques, and to attacks on government organisations, with 9 countries and victims named. This free profile shows how it works and who it targets, so you can judge the risk to you.

Canonical page: https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors/muddywater
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.edgeprotect.io/) > [Threat groups](https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors) > MuddyWater

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 43 (plus 39 sub-techniques) |
| Countries and victims named | 9 |
| Thought to operate from | Iran |
| Suspected backing | Iran |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 11 |
| Public reports | 16 |

## Who is MuddyWater?

MuddyWater is an espionage group thought to operate from Iran, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 43 attack techniques, and to attacks on government organisations, with 9 countries and victims named.

### Also known as

TEMP.Zagros, Static Kitten, Seedworm, MERCURY, COBALT ULSTER, G0069, ATK51, Boggy Serpens, Mango Sandstorm, TA450, Earth Vetala

Security companies each give the same group their own name, so one group can have many.

### What public reporting says

> The MuddyWater attacks are primarily against Middle Eastern nations. However, we have also observed attacks against surrounding nations and beyond, including targets in India and the USA. MuddyWater attacks are characterized by the use of a slowly evolving PowerShell-based first stage backdoor we call “POWERSTATS”. Despite broad scrutiny and reports on MuddyWater attacks, the activity continues with only incremental changes to the tools and techniques.

## How does MuddyWater attack? Stage by stage

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 43 linked to MuddyWater. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 39 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

### 1. Research (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 2. Preparation (2)

- T1583: Acquire Infrastructure
- T1588: Obtain Capabilities

### 3. Getting in (2)

- T1190: Exploit Public-Facing Application
- T1566: Phishing

### 4. Running code (7)

- T1047: Windows Management Instrumentation
- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter
- T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution
- T1204: User Execution
- T1559: Inter-Process Communication
- T1574: Hijack Execution Flow

### 5. Staying in (3)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1137: Office Application Startup
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 6. Taking control (3)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution
- T1548: Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism

### 7. Hiding (5)

- T1027: Obfuscated Files or Information
- T1036: Masquerading
- T1140: Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information
- T1218: System Binary Proxy Execution
- T1574: Hijack Execution Flow

### 8. Disabling defences (1)

- T1685: Disable or Modify Tools

### 9. Stealing passwords (3)

- T1003: OS Credential Dumping
- T1552: Unsecured Credentials
- T1555: Credentials from Password Stores

### 10. Looking around (8)

- T1016: System Network Configuration Discovery
- T1033: System Owner/User Discovery
- T1049: System Network Connections Discovery
- T1057: Process Discovery
- T1082: System Information Discovery
- T1083: File and Directory Discovery
- T1087: Account Discovery
- T1518: Software Discovery

### 11. Spreading (1)

- T1210: Exploitation of Remote Services

### 12. Gathering data (3)

- T1074: Data Staged
- T1113: Screen Capture
- T1560: Archive Collected Data

### 13. Keeping contact (8)

- T1071: Application Layer Protocol
- T1090: Proxy
- T1102: Web Service
- T1104: Multi-Stage Channels
- T1105: Ingress Tool Transfer
- T1132: Data Encoding
- T1219: Remote Access Tools
- T1573: Encrypted Channel

### 14. Taking data out (1)

- T1041: Exfiltration Over C2 Channel

### 15. Causing damage (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

## Who does MuddyWater go after?

**Sectors:** Government

**Countries and victims named:** Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Turkey, Iraq, Israel, India, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, United States

See threats by industry: https://www.edgeprotect.io/industries

## Public reports about MuddyWater

- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42-muddying-the-water-targeted-attacks-in-the-middle-east/
- https://www.cfr.org/interactive/cyber-operations/muddywater
- https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2018/03/iranian-threat-group-updates-ttps-in-spear-phishing-campaign.html
- https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/campaign-possibly-connected-muddywater-surfaces-middle-east-central-asia/
- https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/another-potential-muddywater-campaign-uses-powershell-based-prb-backdoor/
- https://securelist.com/muddywater/88059/
- https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/seedworm-espionage-group
- https://www.clearskysec.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/MuddyWater-Operations-in-Lebanon-and-Oman.pdf
- https://www.clearskysec.com/muddywater-targets-kurdish-groups-turkish-orgs/
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2019/05/recent-muddywater-associated-blackwater.html
- https://www.zdnet.com/article/new-leaks-of-iranian-cyber-espionage-operations-hit-telegram-and-the-dark-web/
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0069/
- http://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/cobalt-ulster
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/atoms/boggyserpens/
- https://www.sentinelone.com/blog/the-new-frontline-of-geopolitics-understanding-the-rise-of-state-sponsored-cyber-attacks/
- https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/21/c/earth-vetala---muddywater-continues-to-target-organizations-in-t.html

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is MuddyWater?

MuddyWater is an espionage group thought to operate from Iran, with suspected state backing. Public reporting links it to 43 attack techniques, and to attacks on government organisations, with 9 countries and victims named.

### Where is MuddyWater thought to be based?

Public reporting places MuddyWater as operating from Iran, with suspected state backing. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

### Who does MuddyWater target?

In public reporting, sectors named include government, and 9 countries and victims are named, including Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Turkey and Iraq.

### How does MuddyWater attack?

Public reporting links MuddyWater to 43 attack techniques. Most of them are about looking around, keeping contact and running code.

### How do I know if MuddyWater is a risk to my business?

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