# Molerats: threat group profile

> 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.

Canonical page: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/threat-actors/molerats
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/) > [Threat groups](https://www.precursorintelligence.com/threat-actors) > Molerats

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 12 (plus 13 sub-techniques) |
| Countries and victims named | 5 |
| Thought to operate from | Palestinian Territories |
| Suspected backing | Palestine |
| Motive | Espionage |
| Other names | 9 |
| Public reports | 15 |

## Who is Molerats?

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.

### Also known as

Gaza Hackers Team, Gaza cybergang, Gaza Cybergang, Operation Molerats, Extreme Jackal, Moonlight, ALUMINUM SARATOGA, G0021, BLACKSTEM

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.”

## 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. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 13 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

### 1. Research (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 2. Preparation (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 3. Getting in (1)

- T1566: Phishing

### 4. Running code (3)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter
- T1204: User Execution

### 5. Staying in (2)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 6. Taking control (2)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 7. Hiding (3)

- T1027: Obfuscated Files or Information
- T1140: Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information
- T1218: System Binary Proxy Execution

### 8. Disabling defences (1)

- T1553: Subvert Trust Controls

### 9. Stealing passwords (1)

- T1555: Credentials from Password Stores

### 10. Looking around (1)

- T1057: Process Discovery

### 11. Spreading (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 12. Gathering data (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 13. Keeping contact (1)

- T1105: Ingress Tool Transfer

### 14. Taking data out (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 15. Causing damage (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

## Who does Molerats go after?

**Sectors:** Government, Defense, Energy, Finance, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Education, Media, NGOs, Civil Society, Legal, Military

**Countries and victims named:** United States, Israel, Palestine, Middle East, Europe

See threats by industry: https://www.precursorintelligence.com/industries

## Public reports about Molerats

- https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2013/08/operation-molerats-middle-east-cyber-attacks-using-poison-ivy.html
- https://ti.360.net/blog/articles/suspected-molerats-new-attack-in-the-middle-east/
- https://ti.360.net/blog/articles/suspected-molerats-new-attack-in-the-middle-east-en/
- https://middle-east-online.com/en/cyber-war-gaza-hackers-deface-israel-fire-service-website
- https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2014/06/molerats-here-for-spring.html
- https://pwc.blogs.com/cyber_security_updates/2015/04/attacks-against-israeli-palestinian-interests.html
- https://www.vectra.ai/blogpost/moonlight-middle-east-targeted-attacks
- https://securelist.com/gaza-cybergang-wheres-your-ir-team/72283/
- https://www.clearskysec.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Operation%20DustySky_TLP_WHITE.pdf
- https://www.clearskysec.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Operation-DustySky2_-6.2016_TLP_White.pdf
- https://securelist.com/gaza-cybergang-updated-2017-activity/82765/
- https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/gaza-cybergang/26363/
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0021/
- https://www.secureworks.com/research/threat-profiles/aluminum-saratoga
- https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/tool-of-first-resort-israel-hamas-war-cyber.pdf

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is Molerats?

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.

### Where is Molerats thought to be based?

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.

### Who does Molerats target?

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.

### How does Molerats attack?

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

### How do I know if Molerats is a risk to my business?

Create an account and tell us the software you run. We match it against known flaws, including those linked to threat groups, rank each one from 0 to 100 and tell you as soon as we spot something that affects you.

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