Iranian hackers impersonated academics at London university

Iranian hackers impersonated academics at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies to conduct an online espionage campaign targeting experts on the Middle East, according to the cyber security company Proofpoint, writes Helen Warrell for Financial Times.

The hacking attempt was carried out by a group called Charming Kitten, also known as ‘Phosphorus’ and APT35, which is widely thought by regional experts to carry out intelligence efforts on behalf of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard.

Iran – alongside Russia, China and North Korea – is one of the most potent cyber aggressors facing the United Kingdom and its allies. Lindy Cameron, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, a branch of signals intelligence agency GCHQ, warned last month that Iran was using digital technology to “sabotage and steal” from a range of British organisations.
Full report on the Financial Times site