Targeting of academics focusing on the Middle East
Date of report
  • July 2021
Affiliations
Charming Kitten was found using spear-phishing attacks against UK experts who study the Middle East. The attacks involved impersonating scholars from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies and prompted the victims to either turn over sensitive information or download malware onto their systems.
Suspected victims
  • Researchers in the United Kingdom focused on the Middle East
Suspected state sponsor
  • Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Type of incident
  • Espionage
Target category
  • Civil society
  • Private sector