Threats Feed|MuddyWater|Last Updated 24/01/2025|AuthorCertfa Radar|Publish Date22/10/2024

Phishing Attack in Armenia Shows Possible MuddyWater TTPs with PowerShell Use

  • Actor Motivations: Espionage,Exfiltration
  • Attack Vectors: Malware,Phishing
  • Attack Complexity: Medium
  • Threat Risk: Low Impact/Low Probability

Threat Overview

A recent phishing campaign has targeted Armenian individuals through a benign Word document containing a link that directs users to a fake CAPTCHA page. Victims who follow the prompts inadvertently activate a "PasteJacking" technique, where malicious PowerShell code is silently copied and executed in the system's Run box. This script installs PDQ RMM, a legitimate remote management tool, granting attackers remote access without relying on traditional malware. Indicators point to possible attribution to MuddyWater, based on specific social engineering tactics, PowerShell usage, and open-source adaptations, although a definitive link remains unconfirmed. The incident underscores the use of targeted social engineering attacks against Armenian-speaking users, with potential geopolitical implications.

Detected Targets

TypeDescriptionConfidence
CasePolice of Armenia
Police of Armenia has been targeted by MuddyWater with abusive purposes.
Verified
RegionArmenia
High

Extracted IOCs

  • desktop_app[.]zip
  • police-am[.]info
  • 4da4da7034d90ac233918d6f852cc40866ad7d1279ca872a6d92859b0fc22f76
  • 96f5bb770d363c54d6657b877c16e7559ba7cc6341f084fee64166b7760a8572
  • dcb5fbd24b219eb6ed9ddedffc93ad34c0b498e14bdcdc933d08535659cbca51
  • fec64dd6eb25bdc32a1125753ed9f17b4d27f3115a1c48d794cdd385b121417a
  • armenianeconomy[.]com/desktop_app.zip
  • police-am[.]info/i.msi
  • police-am[.]info/news/view/galstanyan151026.html
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Tip: 9 related IOCs (0 IP, 2 domain, 3 URL, 0 email, 4 file hash) to this threat have been found.