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Molerats threat group

Molerats is an espionage group thought to operate from Palestinian Territories, with suspected backing from Palestine. Public reporting links it to 12 attack techniques, and to attacks on government, defense and energy organisations, with 5 countries and victims named. This free profile shows how it works and who it targets, so you can judge the risk to you.

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Attack techniques
12
Countries and victims named
5
Thought to operate from
Palestinian Territories
Suspected backing
Palestine
Motive
Espionage
Other names
9
Built from public reporting, with every source listed below.
Overview

Who is Molerats?

Molerats has 9 other names in security research. Below is what published reporting says about it, with a link to every report so you can check the detail yourself.

Also known as

Gaza Hackers TeamGaza cybergangGaza CybergangOperation MoleratsExtreme JackalMoonlightALUMINUM SARATOGAG0021BLACKSTEM

Security companies each give the same group their own name, so one group can have many.

What public reporting says

In October 2012, malware attacks against Israeli government targets grabbed media attention as officials temporarily cut off Internet access for its entire police force and banned the use of USB memory sticks. Security researchers subsequently linked these attacks to a broader, yearlong campaign that targeted not just Israelis but Palestinians as well. and as discovered later, even the U.S. and UK governments. Further research revealed a connection between these attacks and members of the so-called “Gaza Hackers Team.” We refer to this campaign as “Molerats.”

Public reports about Molerats (15)

How it works

How does Molerats attack? Stage by stage.

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 12 linked to Molerats, laid out from first look to final blow. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Pick a stage to see them. Public reporting also lists 13 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

Stage 4 of 15

Running code

Running their own programs or commands on a machine they reached.

3 techniques
  • T1053Scheduled Task/Job
  • T1059Command and Scripting Interpreter
  • T1204User Execution
Targets

Who does Molerats go after?

The sectors and places named in public reporting about this group. If yours is on the list, it is worth knowing how they work and which flaws they use.

Sectors (12)

GovernmentDefenseEnergyFinanceHealthcarePharmaceuticalsEducationMediaNGOsCivil SocietyLegalMilitary
See threats by industry →

Countries and victims named (5)

  1. 01United States
  2. 02Israel
  3. 03Palestine
  4. 04Middle East
  5. 05Europe
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Is Molerats a risk to you?

A public profile tells you who a group is. Your account tells you whether it matters to you: we match the software you run to the flaws threat groups use, and we keep watching, so you hear about anything that affects you as soon as we know.

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FAQ

Questions about Molerats

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Molerats is an espionage group thought to operate from Palestinian Territories, with suspected backing from Palestine. Public reporting links it to 12 attack techniques, and to attacks on government, defense and energy organisations, with 5 countries and victims named.

Public reporting places Molerats as operating from Palestinian Territories, with suspected backing from Palestine. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

In public reporting, sectors named include government, defense, energy, finance and healthcare, and 5 countries and victims are named, including United States, Israel, Palestine and Middle East.

Public reporting links Molerats to 12 attack techniques. Most of them are about running code, hiding and staying in.

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