G0049: OilRig
OilRig is a suspected Iranian threat group that has targeted Middle Eastern and international victims since at least 2014. The group has targeted a variety of sectors, including financial, government, energy, chemical, and telecommunications. It appears the group carries out supply chain attacks, leveraging the trust relationship between organizations to attack their primary targets. The group works on behalf of the Iranian government based on infrastructure details that contain references to Iran, use of Iranian infrastructure, and targeting that aligns with nation-state interests.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Analyst context for executives and security teams
OilRig is a suspected Iranian group in ATT&CK associated with long-running targeting of Middle Eastern and international organizations, including financial, government, energy, chemical, and telecommunications sectors. The business issue is not just the group name; it is the pattern of trusted-relationship and supply-chain abuse plus use of common administrative utilities, credential tools, PowerShell backdoors, web shells, and downloader/backdoor campaigns. Leaders should treat this as a test of whether the organization can recognize suspicious use of legitimate tools, investigate identity compromise, and validate third-party trust paths before an incident becomes a broader operational problem.
Executive priority
Prioritize OilRig-relevant readiness where the organization has exposure in the cited sectors, operates in or with the Middle East/Israel, depends on trusted partner connectivity, or runs critical Windows and web server infrastructure. Executive questions should focus on: whether supplier and partner access is logged and reviewable, whether credential theft and lateral movement evidence can be produced quickly, whether incident response can distinguish normal administration from adversary use of tools such as PsExec, Net, Reg, certutil, ftp, and PowerShell, and whether audit/compliance evidence exists for monitoring privileged access and remote administration.
Technical view
ATT&CK provides no official detection text, tactics, or platform list for the group object, so defensive validation should be driven by the relationship context. OilRig is linked to campaigns Outer Space and Juicy Mix, and to tools including Mimikatz, PsExec, Net, Tasklist, Reg, ftp, Systeminfo, ipconfig, netstat, certutil, Helminth, POWRUNER, SEASHARPEE, ISMInjector, RGDoor, OopsIE, QUADAGENT, LaZagne, BONDUPDATER, and RDAT. Many related tools are Windows utilities or Windows malware, while ftp and LaZagne have broader platform references. SOC teams should validate visibility for command-line execution, PowerShell activity, credential access indicators, remote execution, IIS/web shell activity, file transfer, and outbound command-and-control-like communications, while avoiding assumptions that every instance of these tools is malicious.
Likely telemetry
- Endpoint process creation and command-line logs for Windows utilities such as Net, Reg, Tasklist, Systeminfo, ipconfig, netstat, certutil, ftp, and PsExec
- PowerShell execution logs, script block/module logging where available, and encoded or remote command execution evidence
- Credential access telemetry related to tools such as Mimikatz and LaZagne, including LSASS access or suspicious credential store access where locally collected
- Windows authentication, privileged account use, service creation, administrative share access, and remote execution logs
- Web server and IIS logs, file integrity evidence, and web shell indicators relevant to SEASHARPEE and RGDoor relationship context
Detection direction
- Build detections around suspicious combinations rather than single tool names: for example, discovery commands followed by credential access tooling, PsExec-style remote execution, file transfer, or PowerShell backdoor behavior.
- Tune heavily for administrative false positives. PsExec, Net, Reg, certutil, ftp, ipconfig, netstat, systeminfo, and tasklist are legitimate tools; useful detections require baselines for admin accounts, management servers, change windows, and expected command arguments.
- Validate PowerShell coverage for related backdoors such as POWRUNER, QUADAGENT, BONDUPDATER, and Helminth, but do not rely only on malware names; focus on suspicious script execution, network callbacks, and file staging patterns.
- Review web-facing Windows/IIS servers for logging depth and investigation readiness because related software includes IIS/web shell backdoors such as RGDoor and SEASHARPEE.
- Use the campaign relationships as threat-intelligence context, especially Outer Space and Juicy Mix targeting Israeli organizations, but require local telemetry before escalating to attribution.
Mitigation priorities
- First, reduce identity blast radius: enforce least privilege for administrator accounts, review privileged group membership, and protect credentials likely to be targeted by credential dumping tools.
- Second, constrain and monitor remote administration: limit where PsExec-style execution and administrative shares are allowed, and require strong logging for privileged remote activity.
- Third, harden PowerShell and script execution controls using policy, logging, and review of allowed administrative use cases.
- Fourth, improve web server hygiene for externally reachable services, including patching, file integrity monitoring, access logging, and rapid web shell triage procedures.
- Fifth, govern supplier and partner trust paths with named owners, access reviews, logging requirements, and incident contact procedures because the official description notes supply-chain and trust-relationship abuse.
Analyst notes and limits
OilRig has many aliases in the supplied ATT&CK data, including APT34, COBALT GYPSY, Helix Kitten, Evasive Serpens, Hazel Sandstorm, EUROPIUM, Earth Simnavaz, Crambus, and TA452. APT34 is shown as revoked into OilRig, including an ICS-domain revoked object, but the supplied OilRig object is enterprise-attack and has no explicit ICS tactics or platforms. Treat alias matching carefully in threat intelligence workflows to avoid duplicate reporting or overconfident attribution.
The supplied object does not include official detection guidance, tactics, labels, or platforms. The technical emphasis on Windows, PowerShell, IIS, credentials, and administrative utilities comes from the listed software relationships, not from an explicit group platform field. Any decision about exposure, detection coverage, or incident attribution requires local logs, asset context, and validated intelligence.
OilRig
OilRig is a suspected Iranian threat group that has targeted Middle Eastern and international victims since at least 2014. The group has targeted a variety of sectors, including financial, government, energy, chemical, and telecommunications. It appears the group carries out supply chain attacks, leveraging the trust relationship between organizations to attack their primary targets. The group works on behalf of the Iranian government based on infrastructure details that contain references to Iran, use of Iranian infrastructure, and targeting that aligns with nation-state interests.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
How security teams should use this page
Treat this object as behavior context, not an attribution claim. Validate the related groups, software, data sources, and mitigations against official ATT&CK relationships and your own telemetry before making control-coverage decisions.
Techniques used
This mirrors the MITRE pattern of making group, software, campaign, and technique relationships scannable. Relationship notes come from mirrored ATT&CK relationship text when available.
| Domain | ID | Name | Relationship / procedure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | T1588.003 | Code Signing Certificates Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1555.004 | Windows Credential Manager Sub-technique | OilRig has used credential dumping tool named VALUEVAULT to steal credentials from the Windows Credential Manager.CitationFireEye APT34 July 2019 |
| Enterprise | T1082 | System Information Discovery | |
| Enterprise | T1003.001 | LSASS Memory Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1008 | Fallback Channels | OilRig malware ISMAgent falls back to its DNS tunneling mechanism if it is unable to reach the C2 server over HTTP.CitationOilRig ISMAgent July 2017 |
| Enterprise | T1071.001 | Web Protocols Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1005 | Data from Local System | |
| Enterprise | T1686.003 | Windows Host Firewall Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1059.003 | Windows Command Shell Sub-technique | OilRig has used macros to deliver malware such as QUADAGENT and OopsIE.[1]CitationOilRig ISMAgent July 2017CitationUnit 42 OopsIE! Feb 2018[7]CitationUnit42 OilRig Nov 2018 OilRig has used batch scripts.[1]CitationOilRig ISMAgent July 2017CitationUnit 42 OopsIE! Feb 2018[7]CitationUnit42 OilRig Nov 2018 |
| Enterprise | T1021.001 | Remote Desktop Protocol Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1505.003 | Web Shell Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1587.001 | Malware Sub-technique | OilRig actively developed and used a series of downloaders during 2022.CitationESET OilRig Downloaders DEC 2023 |
| Enterprise | T1608.001 | Upload Malware Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1036 | Masquerading | |
| Enterprise | T1219 | Remote Access Tools | |
| Enterprise | T1218.001 | Compiled HTML File Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1046 | Network Service Discovery | OilRig has used the publicly available tool SoftPerfect Network Scanner as well as a custom tool called GOLDIRONY to conduct network scanning.CitationFireEye APT34 Webinar Dec 2017 |
| Enterprise | T1087.001 | Local Account Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1137.004 | Outlook Home Page Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1069.002 | Domain Groups Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1113 | Screen Capture | OilRig has a tool called CANDYKING to capture a screenshot of user's desktop.CitationFireEye APT34 Webinar Dec 2017 |
| Enterprise | T1025 | Data from Removable Media | |
| Enterprise | T1007 | System Service Discovery | |
| Enterprise | T1556.002 | Password Filter DLL Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1059.001 | PowerShell Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1070.004 | File Deletion Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1588.002 | Tool Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1204.002 | Malicious File Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1133 | External Remote Services | OilRig uses remote services such as VPN, Citrix, or OWA to persist in an environment.CitationFireEye APT34 Webinar Dec 2017 |
| Enterprise | T1078.002 | Domain Accounts Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1201 | Password Policy Discovery | OilRig has used net.exe in a script with |
| Enterprise | T1586.002 | Email Accounts Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1087.002 | Domain Account Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1003.004 | LSA Secrets Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1140 | Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information | |
| Enterprise | T1553.002 | Code Signing Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1048.003 | Exfiltration Over Unencrypted Non-C2 Protocol Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1110 | Brute Force | |
| Enterprise | T1059.005 | Visual Basic Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1566.002 | Spearphishing Link Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1112 | Modify Registry | |
| Enterprise | T1120 | Peripheral Device Discovery | |
| Enterprise | T1071.004 | DNS Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1105 | Ingress Tool Transfer | |
| Enterprise | T1049 | System Network Connections Discovery | |
| Enterprise | T1543.003 | Windows Service Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1195 | Supply Chain Compromise | |
| Enterprise | T1204.001 | Malicious Link Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1078 | Valid Accounts | |
| Enterprise | T1573.002 | Asymmetric Cryptography Sub-technique | OilRig used the PowerExchange utility and other tools to create tunnels to C2 servers.CitationFireEye APT34 Webinar Dec 2017 |
| Enterprise | T1566.001 | Spearphishing Attachment Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1053.005 | Scheduled Task Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1119 | Automated Collection | |
| Enterprise | T1583.001 | Domains Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1056.001 | Keylogging Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1036.005 | Match Legitimate Resource Name or Location Sub-technique | |
| Enterprise | T1033 | System Owner/User Discovery | |
| Enterprise | T1566.003 | Spearphishing via Service Sub-technique | OilRig has used LinkedIn to send spearphishing links.CitationFireEye APT34 July 2019 |
Groups, software, and campaigns
G0057: APT34
Official MITRE ATT&CK object mirrored from source data.
S0189: ISMInjector
ISMInjector is a Trojan used to install another OilRig backdoor, ISMAgent. [1]
S1170: ODAgent
S0495: RDAT
S0096: Systeminfo
Systeminfo is a Windows utility that can be used to gather detailed information about a computer. [1]
S0269: QUADAGENT
S0264: OopsIE
S0508: ngrok
S0057: Tasklist
S0039: Net
The Net utility is a component of the Windows operating system. It is used in command-line operations for control of users, groups, services, and network connections. [1]
Net has a great deal of functionality, [2] much of which is useful for an adversary, such as gathering system and network information for Discovery, moving laterally through SMB/Windows Admin Shares using net use commands, and interacting with services. The net1.exe utility is executed for certain functionality when net.exe is run and can be used directly in commands such as net1 user.
S0160: certutil
S1151: ZeroCleare
S0075: Reg
C0042: Outer Space
Outer Space was a campaign conducted by OilRig throughout 2021 that used the SampleCheck5000 downloader and Solar backdoor to target Israeli organizations.[1]
All related ATT&CK context
Object version and sync metadata
The fields below describe the current mirrored snapshot. When Glexia retains multiple ATT&CK source imports, you can open the table to compare the same object across releases (hashes and MITRE timestamps). For MITRE’s own release notes and roadmap, see ATT&CK resources — Updates .
Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases (1)
| Release | Bundle imported | Object version | Modified | Status | Raw hash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.1 | 5.0 | Current bundle | 74d7f9e30c9d… |
Mirrored ATT&CK source object
The raw object is retained through the mirrored ATT&CK source bundle and object hash. The raw endpoint returns the exact object from the mirrored bundle when available.
External references and citations
MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.
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[1]
FireEye APT34 Dec 2017
Sardiwal, M, et al. (2017, December 7). New Targeted Attack in the Middle East by APT34, a Suspected Iranian Threat Group, Using CVE-2017-11882 Exploit. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
Open source URL -
[2]
Palo Alto OilRig April 2017
Falcone, R.. (2017, April 27). OilRig Actors Provide a Glimpse into Development and Testing Efforts. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
Open source URL -
[3]
ClearSky OilRig Jan 2017
ClearSky Cybersecurity. (2017, January 5). Iranian Threat Agent OilRig Delivers Digitally Signed Malware, Impersonates University of Oxford. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
Open source URL -
[4]
Palo Alto OilRig May 2016
Falcone, R. and Lee, B.. (2016, May 26). The OilRig Campaign: Attacks on Saudi Arabian Organizations Deliver Helminth Backdoor. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
Open source URL -
[5]
Palo Alto OilRig Oct 2016
Grunzweig, J. and Falcone, R.. (2016, October 4). OilRig Malware Campaign Updates Toolset and Expands Targets. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
Open source URL -
[6]
Unit42 OilRig Playbook 2023
Unit42. (2016, May 1). Evasive Serpens Unit 42 Playbook Viewer. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
Open source URL -
[7]
Unit 42 QUADAGENT July 2018
Lee, B., Falcone, R. (2018, July 25). OilRig Targets Technology Service Provider and Government Agency with QUADAGENT. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
Open source URL -
[8]
Check Point APT34 April 2021
Check Point. (2021, April 8). Iran’s APT34 Returns with an Updated Arsenal. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
Open source URL -
[9]
Symantec Crambus OCT 2023
Symantec Threat Hunter Team. (2023, October 19). Crambus: New Campaign Targets Middle Eastern Government. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Open source URL -
[10]
Trend Micro Earth Simnavaz October 2024
Fahmy, M. et al. (2024, October 11). Earth Simnavaz (aka APT34) Levies Advanced Cyberattacks Against Middle East. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Open source URL -
[11]
IBM ZeroCleare Wiper December 2019
Kessem, L. (2019, December 4). New Destructive Wiper ZeroCleare Targets Energy Sector in the Middle East. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
Open source URL -
[12]
Crowdstrike Helix Kitten Nov 2018
Meyers, A. (2018, November 27). Meet CrowdStrike’s Adversary of the Month for November: HELIX KITTEN. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
Open source URL -
[13]
APT34
This group was previously tracked under two distinct groups, APT34 and OilRig, but was combined due to additional reporting giving higher confidence about the overlap of the activity.(Citation: Unit 42 QUADAGENT July 2018)(Citation: FireEye APT34 Dec 2017)(Citation: Check Point APT34 April 2021)
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[14]
COBALT GYPSY
(Citation: Secureworks COBALT GYPSY Threat Profile)
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[15]
Crambus
(Citation: Symantec Crambus OCT 2023)
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[16]
EUROPIUM
(Citation: Microsoft Threat Actor Naming July 2023)
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[17]
Earth Simnavaz
(Citation: Trend Micro Earth Simnavaz October 2024)
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[18]
Evasive Serpens
(Citation: Unit42 OilRig Playbook 2023)
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[19]
Hazel Sandstorm
(Citation: Microsoft Threat Actor Naming July 2023)
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[20]
Helix Kitten
(Citation: Unit 42 QUADAGENT July 2018)(Citation: Crowdstrike Helix Kitten Nov 2018)
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[21]
IRN2
(Citation: Crowdstrike Helix Kitten Nov 2018)
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[22]
ITG13
(Citation: IBM ZeroCleare Wiper December 2019)
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[23]
Microsoft Threat Actor Naming July 2023
Microsoft . (2023, July 12). How Microsoft names threat actors. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
Open source URL -
[24]
OilRig
(Citation: Palo Alto OilRig April 2017) (Citation: ClearSky OilRig Jan 2017) (Citation: Palo Alto OilRig May 2016) (Citation: Palo Alto OilRig Oct 2016) (Citation: Unit 42 Playbook Dec 2017) (Citation: Unit 42 QUADAGENT July 2018)
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[25]
Proofpoint Iranian Aligned Attacks JAN 2020
Proofpoint. (2020, January 10). Iranian State-Sponsored and Aligned Attacks: What You Need to Know and Steps to Protect Yourself. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
Open source URL -
[26]
Secureworks COBALT GYPSY Threat Profile
Secureworks. (n.d.). COBALT GYPSY Threat Profile. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
Open source URL -
[27]
TA452
(Citation: Proofpoint Iranian Aligned Attacks JAN 2020)
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[28]
Unit 42 Playbook Dec 2017
Unit 42. (2017, December 15). Unit 42 Playbook Viewer. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
Open source URL -
[29]
mitre-attack G0049Open source URL
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