Charming Kitten targets critical infrastructure in US and elsewhere with BellaCiao malware

Iranian state-sponsored hacking group Charming Kitten has been named as the group responsible for a new wave of attacks targeting critical infrastructure in the United States and elsewhere. The group (who are also known to security researchers by a wide variety of other names including Mint Sandstorm, Phosphorous, Newscaster, and APT35) has been operating since at least 2011, making a name for itself by targeting activists and journalists in the Middle East, as well as organisations in the United States, UK, Israel, and elsewhere. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that the group, which…