Actors Insights|Latest update04/07/2026

Flying Kitten

Named by CrowdStrikeSuspected state sponsor: Islamic Republic of Iran

Flying Kitten is an Iranian threat cluster that evolved from the hacktivist collective Ajax Security Team into a targeted espionage operation. Active since at least 2010, the group transitioned from website defacements to campaigns against US defense contractors, aerospace companies, and Iranian dissidents. FireEye documented a 2014 operation in which Flying Kitten distributed trojanized anti-censorship tools to Iranian dissidents while simultaneously targeting US defense sector organizations. The cluster is notable for the clear path from Iranian hacker forum activity to state-directed cyber operations.

First Seen:Mar 2013
Last Seen:Feb 2018
Indexed Reports:3
Public IOCs:105
Cluster: Flying KittenMitre: Ajax Security TeamMisp: Flying Kitten
also known as:
SaffronRoseAjaxSecurityTeamGroup 26 (Talos)SayadFlying Kitten (CrowdStrike)Operation Woolen-GoldfishAjaxTMRocket Kitten (CrowdStrike)Operation Saffron RoseG0130 (Mitre)

Targeted Regions

Iran
IR
Iran
Iran
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Israel
IL
Israel
Israel
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Turkey
TR
Turkey
Turkey
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
United Kingdom
GB
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
United States
US
United States
United States
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jan 2014 ~ May 2014
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jan 2014 ~ May 2014
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Mar 2013 ~ Feb 2018
Jun 2013 ~ Dec 2017
Jan 2013Jun 2026

Targeted Sectors

UniversityDefenseDissidentAerospaceHuman RightsJournalistsMedicalMedia

Recent Indexed Reports

  1. Public
    Espionage Operations by Flying Kitten Impact US, Israel, and Academia
  2. Public
    Flying Kitten to Rocket Kitten: Persistent Phishing Threats from Iran
  3. Public
    Iranian FLYING KITTEN Targets U.S. Defense and Dissidents

Disclaimer: We are working on indexing and analyzing relevant data and this process is not fully completed yet. Therefore, displayed details and statistics may will change in the future.