Executive Summary
In early 2024, Iranian state-sponsored APT MuddyWater launched a series of cyberattacks against Israeli organizations using a novel evasion method involving a modified version of the classic Snake mobile game. Attackers embedded malicious code within the game to establish a covert communication channel and facilitate lateral movement within compromised networks. Initial access was likely achieved through phishing emails, followed by deployment of specially crafted files to disguise data exfiltration activities. The campaign resulted in unauthorized access to sensitive data and disruption of critical business operations for targeted Israeli entities.
This incident highlights a growing trend of threat actors leveraging benign-looking applications and creative techniques to bypass traditional security controls. The use of retro games as a decoy demonstrates that sophisticated attackers are continually adapting, raising the bar for detection and forensic analysis across industries.
Why This Matters Now
This breach underscores the urgent need for organizations to update their defenses against increasingly creative malware delivery strategies. As state-sponsored actors exploit unexpected vectors like retro games, traditional detection methods become less effective, making enhanced visibility, microsegmentation, and rapid anomaly detection critical for contemporary cybersecurity.
Attack Path Analysis
MuddyWater initiated their campaign with phishing emails using a retro game lure to gain initial access to Israeli organizations. After compromising user credentials or systems, they likely escalated privileges within the environment to gain broader access. Leveraging compromised accounts or tokens, the attackers moved laterally across cloud or hybrid workloads. Next, they established command and control communications to remote infrastructure, likely using encrypted or covert channels. Sensitive data was then exfiltrated through controlled or disguised outbound traffic. Finally, the attackers sought to disrupt operations, implant backdoors, or prepare for destructive activity within impacted networks.
Kill Chain Progression
Initial Compromise
Description
Attackers used phishing emails with a retro game attachment to entice users into opening malicious files, leading to endpoint compromise and foothold on internal cloud-connected systems.
Related CVEs
CVE-2025-33053
CVSS 9.8A vulnerability in the WebDAV service allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted requests.
Affected Products:
Microsoft Windows Server – 2016, 2019, 2022
Microsoft Windows 10 – 1909, 2004, 20H2, 21H1
Exploit Status:
exploited in the wild
MITRE ATT&CK® Techniques
Phishing
Malicious File
Masquerading
Obfuscated Files or Information
Command and Scripting Interpreter
Windows Management Instrumentation
Application Layer Protocol
Data from Local System
Potential Compliance Exposure
Mapping incident impact across multiple compliance frameworks.
PCI DSS 4.0 – Malicious Software Prevention
Control ID: 5.2.2
NYDFS 23 NYCRR 500 – Cybersecurity Policy
Control ID: 500.03
DORA – ICT Risk Management Framework
Control ID: Art. 9
CISA ZTMM 2.0 – Identity Verification and Access Enforcement
Control ID: Identity Pillar: Authentication, Authorization, and Controls
NIS2 Directive – Incident Handling and Security Measures
Control ID: Art. 21(2)(d)
Sector Implications
Industry-specific impact of the vulnerabilities, including operational, regulatory, and cloud security risks.
Government Administration
MuddyWater APT targets government infrastructure requiring enhanced encrypted traffic monitoring, east-west segmentation, and inline IPS protection against state-sponsored threats.
Defense/Space
Critical defense systems vulnerable to APT lateral movement tactics necessitating zero trust segmentation, threat detection capabilities, and secure hybrid connectivity.
Financial Services
Banking infrastructure at risk from sophisticated evasion techniques requiring multicloud visibility, egress security enforcement, and comprehensive anomaly detection systems.
Information Technology/IT
IT organizations must implement cloud-native security fabric and Kubernetes protection against APT groups exploiting modern infrastructure and applications.
Sources
- 'MuddyWater' Hackers Target Israeli Orgs With Retro Game Tactichttps://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/muddywater-hackers-israeli-orgs-retro-gameVerified
- Iran’s MuddyWater targets critical infrastructure in Israel and Egypt, masquerades as Snake game – ESET Research discovershttps://www.eset.com/us/about/newsroom/research/iran-muddywater-critical-infrastructure-israel-egypt-snake-game-eset-research/Verified
- APT and financial attacks on industrial organizations in Q2 2025 | Kaspersky ICS CERThttps://ics-cert.kaspersky.com/publications/reports/2025/09/04/apt-and-financial-attacks-on-industrial-organizations-in-q2-2025/Verified
- Iranian hacker group deploys malicious Snake game to target Egyptian and Israeli critical infrastructure | TechRadarhttps://www.techradar.com/pro/security/iranian-hacker-group-deploys-malicious-snake-game-to-target-egyptian-and-israeli-critical-infrastructureVerified
Frequently Asked Questions
Cloud Native Security Fabric Mitigations and ControlsCNSF
CNSF controls such as zero trust segmentation, east-west traffic monitoring, egress policy enforcement, and real-time threat detection would have substantially restricted attacker movement, limited data exfiltration, and enabled rapid detection and response at multiple stages of the attack.
Control: Threat Detection & Anomaly Response
Mitigation: Early detection of phishing payload delivery and suspicious user behavior.
Control: Zero Trust Segmentation
Mitigation: Limits blast radius and privilege scope for compromised accounts.
Control: East-West Traffic Security
Mitigation: Real-time detection and blocking of unauthorized east-west movement.
Control: Cloud Firewall (ACF) with Inline IPS (Suricata)
Mitigation: Inline detection and prevention of command and control payloads.
Control: Egress Security & Policy Enforcement
Mitigation: Outbound traffic filtering and domain enforcement blocks unauthorized data flow.
Centralized monitoring and rapid incident response contain impact.
Impact at a Glance
Affected Business Functions
- Engineering
- Local Government
- Manufacturing
- Technology
- Transportation
- Utilities
- Universities
Estimated downtime: 7 days
Estimated loss: $5,000,000
Potential exposure of sensitive system information, Windows login credentials, and browser data, leading to unauthorized access and data breaches.
Recommended Actions
Key Takeaways & Next Steps
- • Implement zero trust segmentation and least privilege access for all cloud users and workloads.
- • Enforce rigorous egress controls using domain filtering and application-aware firewalls to block data exfiltration and C2.
- • Deploy east-west traffic inspection to detect and prevent unauthorized lateral movement within and across cloud regions.
- • Integrate real-time threat detection and anomaly response to quickly identify and contain advanced attacks.
- • Centralize visibility and policy control across hybrid and multi-cloud environments for streamlined incident response.
