# DarkHydrus: threat group profile

> DarkHydrus is a threat group. Public reporting links it to 7 attack techniques. This free profile shows how it works, stage by stage, so you can judge the risk to you. It lists the other names the group goes by and links to every public report behind it.

Canonical page: https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors/darkhydrus
Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.edgeprotect.io/) > [Threat groups](https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors) > DarkHydrus

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 7 (plus 5 sub-techniques) |
| Thought to operate from | Not known |
| Other names | 3 |
| Public reports | 7 |

## Who is DarkHydrus?

DarkHydrus is a threat group. Public reporting links it to 7 attack techniques.

### Also known as

LazyMeerkat, G0079, Obscure Serpens

Security companies each give the same group their own name, so one group can have many.

### What public reporting says

> In July 2018, Unit 42 analyzed a targeted attack using a novel file type against at least one government agency in the Middle East. It was carried out by a previously unpublished threat group we track as DarkHydrus. Based on our telemetry, we were able to uncover additional artifacts leading us to believe this adversary group has been in operation with their current playbook since early 2016. This attack diverged from previous attacks we observed from this group as it involved spear-phishing emails sent to targeted organizations with password protected RAR archive attachments that contained malicious Excel Web Query files (.iqy).

## How does DarkHydrus attack? Stage by stage

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 7 linked to DarkHydrus. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 5 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

### 1. Research (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 2. Preparation (1)

- T1588: Obtain Capabilities

### 3. Getting in (1)

- T1566: Phishing

### 4. Running code (2)

- T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter
- T1204: User Execution

### 5. Staying in (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 6. Taking control (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 7. Hiding (2)

- T1221: Template Injection
- T1564: Hide Artifacts

### 8. Disabling defences (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 9. Stealing passwords (1)

- T1187: Forced Authentication

### 10. Looking around (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 11. Spreading (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 12. Gathering data (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 13. Keeping contact (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 14. Taking data out (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 15. Causing damage (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

## Public reports about DarkHydrus

- https://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2018/07/unit42-new-threat-actor-group-darkhydrus-targets-middle-east-government/
- https://mobile.twitter.com/360TIC/status/1083289987339042817
- https://ti.360.net/blog/articles/latest-target-attack-of-darkhydruns-group-against-middle-east-en/
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42-darkhydrus-uses-phishery-harvest-credentials-middle-east/
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/darkhydrus-delivers-new-trojan-that-can-use-google-drive-for-c2-communications/
- https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0079/
- https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/atoms/obscureserpens/

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is DarkHydrus?

DarkHydrus is a threat group. Public reporting links it to 7 attack techniques.

### How does DarkHydrus attack?

Public reporting links DarkHydrus to 7 attack techniques. Most of them are about running code, hiding and preparation.

### How do I know if DarkHydrus is a risk to my business?

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