Middle East Hack-for-Hire Operation Traced to South Asian Cyber Espionage Group

(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) Several civil society figures in Middle Eastern countries, including three high-profile journalists in Egypt and Lebanon, have been targeted by a spear-phishing campaign likely tied to a known South Asian cyber espionage group. The campaign was detected by digital civil rights organization Access Now through its Digital Security Helpline in August 2025, following outreach from prominent Egyptian journalists Mostafa Al‑A’sar and Ahmed Eltantawy. Access Now, a global non-profit organization, found that both individuals, prominent critics of the Egyptian government who have previously faced political imprisonment, had been targeted by spear-phishing campaigns carried out from 2023 to 2024. – Middle East Hack-for-Hire Operation Traced to South Asian APT Group – Infosecurity Magazine