Cyber-Attacks Target Foreign Diplomats in Iran

A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 28, 2013. (Reuters)
A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 28, 2013. (Reuters)
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Cyber-Attacks Target Foreign Diplomats in Iran

A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 28, 2013. (Reuters)
A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 28, 2013. (Reuters)

The Remexi malware began an operation to target foreign diplomats in Iran using locally-produced spyware linked to a Farsi-speaking hacking group named Chafer. The group used Windows-targeting surveillance-ware to monitor figures in the Middle East.

A new build of the Remexi software has been spotted lurking on multiple machines within Iran, mostly those located within foreign embassy buildings.

Remexi was originally detected in 2015.

It has the ability to execute commands remotely and seize screenshots, browser data, including user credentials, login data and history and any typed text.

Companies, institutions and diplomatic bodies should use an enterprise-class security solution with capabilities to detect and stop advanced guided attacks by analyzing network data anomalies and giving e-security teams full visibility across the network and automated response.

They must then provide security awareness initiatives to enable staff members to master the skill of identifying suspicious messages, such as email, which is a common gateway to targeted attacks.

Diplomatic bodies must keep security teams informed of threats to remain up-to-date with the latest methods and tools used by cyber-criminals.



54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
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54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa

Over 50 migrants were headed to the Italian island of Lampedusa Sunday after a charity ship rescued them from an abandoned oil platform in the Mediterranean, where one woman gave birth.

The vessel Astral, operated by the Spain-based NGO Open Arms, rescued the 54 people overnight, the group said in a statement.

The migrants had been trapped on the oil platform for three days after their rubber boat shipwrecked following their departure from Libya on Tuesday, Open Arms said.

On Friday, one of the migrants gave birth to a boy, while another woman had given birth days before. Two other young children were among the group, Open Arms said, according to AFP.

Later Sunday, the charity said that, following the rescue of those on the oil platform, the Astral came upon another 109 people, including four people in the water.

That group, which included 10 children, had also departed from Libya, it said.
Open Arms said they provided life jackets to the migrants before they were rescued by another charity ship, the Louise Michel, which is sponsored by street artist Banksy.

The Louise Michel, a former French navy vessel, was transporting the migrants to a safe port in Sicily, Open Arms said.

It is not unusual for migrants crossing the Mediterranean on leaky and overcrowded boats to seek refuge on offshore oil platforms.

As of June 1, some 23,000 migrants had reached Italy by sea this year, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).