WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Iranian-born German academic Erfan Kasraie received an email from The Wall Street Journal requesting an interview, he sensed something was amiss.
This undated screenshot taken by researchers at the London-based Certfa Lab shows a bogus, Farsi-language interview request purportedly sent by journalist Farnaz Fassihi. The message was one of several malicious emails sent in the name of real life journalists working for CNN, Deutsche Welle, and other publications. The reporters had nothing to do with the messages, which Certfa believes were sent by an Iran-linked hacking group often nicknamed Charming Kitten. Certfa/Handout via REUTERS
The Nov. 12 note purportedly came from Farnaz Fassihi, a veteran Iranian-American journalist who covers the Middle East. Yet it read more like a fan letter, asking Kasraie to share his “important achievements” to “motivate the youth of our beloved country.”
“This interview is a great honor for me,” the note gushed.
Another red flag: the follow-up email that instructed Kasraie to enter his Google password to see the interview questions.
The phony request was in reality an attempt to break into Kasraie’s email account. The incident is part of a wider effort to impersonate journalists in hacking attempts that three cybersecurity firms said they have tied to the Iranian government, which rejected the claim. The incidents come to light at a time when the U.S. government has warned of Iranian cyber threats in the wake of the U.S. air strike that killed Iran’s second most powerful official, Major-General Qassem Soleimani.
In a report published Wednesday, London-based cybersecurity company Certfa tied the impersonation of Fassihi to a hacking group nicknamed Charming Kitten, which has long been associated with ..
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