Threats Feed|MuddyWater|Last Updated 28/01/2026|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.

About Affiliation
MuddyWater
MuddyWater is an Iranian MOIS-linked threat cluster active since at least 2017, formally attributed by US Cyber Command in 2022. The group conducts persistent espionage operations against government, telecommunications, defense, and energy sector targets across the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe. MuddyWater is characterized by spear phishing with macro-enabled documents, heavy use of legitimate remote administration tools for post-compromise access, and custom PowerShell-based malware. It is tracked under numerous aliases including Seedworm, Mango Sandstorm, Mercury, TEMP.Zagros, Static Kitten, and TA450.
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