Middle Eastern threat group conducting surveillance and espionage against military and government targets across the region since 2012. This profile is mapped to MITRE ATT&CK G1028 and covers attribution, tooling, targeting, and defensive recommendations based on observed campaigns.
Overview & Attribution
APT-C-23 (also tracked as Arid Viper, Desert Falcon, Two-tailed Scorpion, Mantis) is a threat group attributed to Palestinian Territories. The group primarily targets Middle East military, government, education for intelligence collection and operational objectives aligned with state interests.
This group is tracked as G1028 in the MITRE ATT&CK framework. All techniques referenced in this report are mapped to ATT&CK for consistent threat modeling and detection engineering.
Arsenal & Tools
Known tools and malware associated with APT-C-23 include:
- Micropsia
- Arid Gopher
- PyMICROPSIA
Targeting & Operations
APT-C-23 operations focus on Middle East military, government, education. The group typically gains initial access through spear-phishing, exploitation of public-facing applications, or strategic web compromises before deploying custom implants for persistent access and data exfiltration.
Organizations in the Middle East military sector should treat APT-C-23 as a relevant threat and validate their detection coverage against the MITRE ATT&CK techniques listed below.
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
Key techniques observed in APT-C-23 operations:
| Technique ID | Technique Name | Tactical Context |
|---|---|---|
| T1566.001 | T1566.001 | Observed in APT-C-23 campaigns |
| T1204.002 | T1204.002 | Observed in APT-C-23 campaigns |
| T1113 | T1113 | Observed in APT-C-23 campaigns |
| T1056.001 | T1056.001 | Observed in APT-C-23 campaigns |
Full ATT&CK mapping: https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1028/
Notable Campaigns
This threat group has been active in operations targeting Middle East military, government, education. Security researchers have documented campaigns involving Micropsia and other tools deployed against organizations in multiple countries. Attribution confidence varies by campaign, but consistent infrastructure and TTP overlap links activity to Palestinian Territories-nexus operations.
Detection & Defense
Recommended defensive measures against APT-C-23:
- Network monitoring: Detect C2 beaconing patterns associated with Micropsia and related implants
- Endpoint detection: Deploy behavioral rules for the ATT&CK techniques above, particularly T1566.001 and T1204.002
- Email security: Implement robust phishing defenses including URL sandboxing and attachment detonation
- Patch management: Prioritize patching of internet-facing applications exploited by this group
- Threat hunting: Proactively hunt for IOCs and behavioral indicators mapped to G1028 in MITRE ATT&CK
How Mjolnir Security Can Help
Defend Against APT-C-23
Mjolnir Security provides tailored threat intelligence, detection engineering, and incident response services to help organizations defend against Palestinian Territories-nexus threat actors.
Contact us: mjolnirsecurity.com
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