Nation-State Actor

Peach Sandstorm

Iran • Active since 2013

Peach Sandstorm is the same as APT33/Elfin - Iranian hackers who target aviation and energy companies with password guessing attacks and sometimes ransomware.

Overview

Peach Sandstorm is an Iranian threat actor targeting aerospace, defense, and energy sectors. They are known for password spray attacks and have deployed ransomware against some targets.

Also Known As

APT33, Elfin, Magnallium, Refined Kitten, HOLMIUM

Target Industries

Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Petrochemical

Target Regions

United States, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Europe

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Tactics, Techniques & Procedures

  • Password spraying
  • Exploitation of public-facing applications
  • Ransomware deployment
  • Custom malware development

Known Tools & Malware

POWERTON, TURNEDUP, NANOCORE, DropShot, ShapeShift

Notable Campaigns

Defense Sector Password Spraying (2023)

Large-scale password spray campaign against defense and satellite organizations.

Aerospace Industry Targeting (2019)

Targeted aerospace companies in US and Saudi Arabia for technology theft.

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

T1110.003, T1190, T1486, T1204.002

Defense Recommendations

  1. 1.

    Implement password spray detection

  2. 2.

    Enforce MFA across all accounts

  3. 3.

    Monitor for known Peach Sandstorm indicators

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