Iranian Hackers Steal Data of US, European Companies

Illustration picture of a hacker with cyber code projected on him (Reuters)
Illustration picture of a hacker with cyber code projected on him (Reuters)
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Iranian Hackers Steal Data of US, European Companies

Illustration picture of a hacker with cyber code projected on him (Reuters)
Illustration picture of a hacker with cyber code projected on him (Reuters)

A newly discovered Iranian hacking group has waged a campaign to steal information from companies in the Middle East, the US, Europe, and Russia since 2018, according to cybersecurity researchers.

Bloomberg Law reported research prepared by several technical specialists, indicating that a group of Iranian hackers exploited extensive technical vulnerabilities in the cloud network of the file storage service Dropbox application.

They were able to access essential data for several aerospace and telecommunications companies in the Middle East, the US, Europe, and Russia.

The Iran-based hacking group, dubbed MalKamak, disguised its activities in Dropbox and has operated since 2018.

The intrusions analyzed by the specialists suggest that the motivation is cyberespionage against a very small set of carefully selected targets. This is supported by the fact that there have been very few samples found in the telemetry or in-the-wild since 2018, in contrast to commodity malware that can usually be found in abundance.

It has been under ongoing development since at least 2018, with several iterations that introduced new functionalities, while it evaded antivirus tools and managed to remain undetected and publicly unknown.



Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader to Visit Oman on Tuesday

FILED - 06 February 2009, Bavaria, Munich: Ali Larijani, then chairman of the Iranian parliament, speaks at the 45th Munich Security Conference in Munich. Photo: Andreas Gebert/dpa
FILED - 06 February 2009, Bavaria, Munich: Ali Larijani, then chairman of the Iranian parliament, speaks at the 45th Munich Security Conference in Munich. Photo: Andreas Gebert/dpa
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Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader to Visit Oman on Tuesday

FILED - 06 February 2009, Bavaria, Munich: Ali Larijani, then chairman of the Iranian parliament, speaks at the 45th Munich Security Conference in Munich. Photo: Andreas Gebert/dpa
FILED - 06 February 2009, Bavaria, Munich: Ali Larijani, then chairman of the Iranian parliament, speaks at the 45th Munich Security Conference in Munich. Photo: Andreas Gebert/dpa

Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, will visit Oman accompanied by a delegation on Tuesday, the ‌semi-official Tasnim news ‌agency reported ‌on ⁠Monday.

American and ‌Iranian diplomats held indirect talks in Oman last week, aimed at reviving diplomacy amid a US ⁠naval buildup near Iran and ‌Tehran's vows ‍of a ‍harsh response if ‍attacked.

"During this trip, (Larijani) will meet with high-ranking officials of the Sultanate of Oman and discuss the latest regional ⁠and international developments and bilateral cooperation at various levels," Tasnim said.

The date and venue of the next round of talks are yet to be announced.


Russia’s Lavrov Sees No ‘Bright Future’ for Economic Ties with US

06 February 2026, Russia, Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gives a press conference following a meeting with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Reception House. (Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa)
06 February 2026, Russia, Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gives a press conference following a meeting with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Reception House. (Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa)
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Russia’s Lavrov Sees No ‘Bright Future’ for Economic Ties with US

06 February 2026, Russia, Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gives a press conference following a meeting with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Reception House. (Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa)
06 February 2026, Russia, Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gives a press conference following a meeting with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Reception House. (Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa)

Russia remains open for cooperation with the United States but is not hopeful about economic ties despite Washington's ongoing efforts to end the Ukraine war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Monday.

Speaking to Russia-based media outlet TV BRICS, ‌Lavrov cited what ‌he called the ‌United ⁠States' declared ‌aim of "economic dominance".

"We also don't see any bright future in the economic sphere," Lavrov said.

Russian officials, including envoy Kirill Dmitriev, have previously spoken of the prospects for a major restoration ⁠of economic relations with the United States as ‌part of any eventual Ukraine ‍peace settlement.

But although ‍President Donald Trump has also ‍spoken of reviving economic cooperation with Moscow and has hosted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on US soil since returning to the White House, he has imposed further onerous sanctions on Russia's vital ⁠energy sector.

Lavrov also cited Trump's hostility to the BRICS bloc, which includes Russia, China, India, Brazil and other major developing economies.

"The Americans themselves create artificial obstacles along this path (towards BRICS integration)," he said.

"We are simply forced to seek additional, protected ways to develop our financial, economic, logistical and ‌other projects with the BRICS countries."


Prince William, Kate 'Deeply Concerned' by Latest Epstein Revelations

Britain's Prince William (R), Prince of Wales and Catherine (C), Princess of Wales arrive to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace in London on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP)
Britain's Prince William (R), Prince of Wales and Catherine (C), Princess of Wales arrive to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace in London on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP)
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Prince William, Kate 'Deeply Concerned' by Latest Epstein Revelations

Britain's Prince William (R), Prince of Wales and Catherine (C), Princess of Wales arrive to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace in London on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP)
Britain's Prince William (R), Prince of Wales and Catherine (C), Princess of Wales arrive to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace in London on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP)

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine have been "deeply concerned" by the latest revelations linking William's uncle Prince Andrew to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Kensington Palace said Monday.

"I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continued revelations," the palace said in a statement.

The statement -- first public comments from the heir to the throne and his wife on the scandal since the latest release of Epstein files more than a week ago -- added that "their thoughts remain focused on the victims" of Epstein, who died in prison awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019.

King Charles III’s 65-year-old brother is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

The king last week forced Mountbatten-Windsor to leave his longtime home at Royal Lodge near Windsor Castle, accelerating a move that was first announced in October but wasn’t expected to be completed until later this year.

Mountbatten-Windsor is now living on the king’s Sandringham estate in eastern England. He will live temporarily at Wood Farm Cottage while his permanent home on the estate undergoes repairs.