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How a hacking campaign targeted high-profile Gmail and WhatsApp users across the Middle East

Posted on January 18, 2026 by Dissent

Zack Whittaker reports:

On Tuesday, U.K.-based Iranian activist Nariman Gharib tweeted redacted screenshots of a phishing link sent to him via a WhatsApp message.

“Do not click on suspicious links,” Gharib warned. The activist, who is following the digital side of the Iranian protests from afar, said the campaign targeted people involved in Iran-related activities, such as himself.

This hacking campaign comes as Iran grapples with the longest nationwide internet shutdown in its history, as anti-government protests — and violent crackdowns — rage across the country. Given that Iran and its closest adversaries are highly active in the offensive cyberspace (read: hacking people), we wanted to learn more.

Gharib shared the full phishing link with TechCrunch soon after his post, allowing us to capture a copy of the source code of the phishing web page used in the attack. He also shared a write-up of his findings.

Read more at TechCrunch.


Related:

  • Iran's ban on Telegram that was intended to facilitate domestic spying backfired
  • Taking pity on law enforcement, Romanian hacker "GhostShell" doxes himself
  • FocaLeaks claims to have hacked El Salvador Police, gained access to records on civilians, agents, and criminal investigations
  • 50,553,664 GOMO app users' information exposed - researcher (UPDATED)
  • Victims of W-2 phishing scams (2017 list)
Category: Non-U.S.Phishing

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