HEAVYGRAM Spyware Uses Telegram Bots for Command and Control Against Iranian Targets

Researchers at Group-IB have published a detailed analysis of HEAVYGRAM, a spyware family that abuses the Telegram messaging platform as its command-and-control infrastructure. The malware family was first observed in the second half of 2023 and has since been linked with moderate confidence to the Handala Hack group. Instead of operating dedicated servers, the operators rely on Telegram bots, accounts, and groups to register infected hosts, receive commands, exfiltrate stolen data, and deliver additional payloads. Once active, HEAVYGRAM captures screenshots, records audio, harvests cached files, and steals data from Telegram Desktop installed on the victim machine. The campaign primarily targets Iranian journalists, dissidents, and individuals opposed to the Iranian government. Infection vectors include malicious files distributed via messengers, disguised as legitimate applications such as Pictory, KeePass, or Telegram-related tools, sometimes delivered as HTML applications or scripts.

BoletimSecSeptember 18, 2026Translated from Portuguese

Read at source

Researchers from Group-IB have published a detailed technical analysis of HEAVYGRAM, a spyware strain that uses the legitimate Telegram messaging service as its command-and-control infrastructure.

The investigation identified 29 additional samples, including loaders and final-stage payloads. Instead of maintaining their own servers that could be taken down, the operators route all communications through the Telegram Bot API. In the observed models, one or two bots handle victim registration, log storage, and delivery of subsequent stages.

Once installed, HEAVYGRAM performs several surveillance functions: it captures screenshots, records audio from the microphone, collects cached data, and steals information from Telegram Desktop installed on the compromised system. The malware can also execute arbitrary commands, deploy additional payloads, and delete files to cover its tracks.

Distribution occurs primarily through messaging platforms. Attackers send files disguised as well-known applications or services, including Pictory, KeePass, and various Telegram-related programs. Some samples arrive as HTML applications or scripts.

The campaign has been active since the second half of 2023 and focuses on Iranian journalists, dissidents, and individuals opposed to the Iranian government. Group-IB attributes the operation to the Handala Hack group with moderate confidence, describing the link as probable rather than definitive.

Group-IB Telegram Desktop HEAVYGRAM Handala Hack KeePass

ShareX Facebook LinkedIn Reddit

Meridian digestThe week's most consequential security stories, distilled into one briefing.See the digest

More in Malware & Botnets

Malware & Botnets

Yoba Campaign Uses Signed ChatGPT and Claude Binaries for DLL Sideloading and XMRig Deployment

Researchers at Check Point Research have uncovered the Yoba malware campaign that distributes fake desktop clients for ChatGPT and Claude through GitHub repositories. The attackers bundle legitimate signed executables from OpenAI and Anthropic with a malicious DLL that gets loaded via classic sideloading. Once executed, the loader establishes persistence using the Windows Task Scheduler and retrieves additional payloads through Telegram, DNS over HTTPS, and the Catbox file hosting service. The campaign ultimately deploys the XMRig cryptominer, which pauses mining activity when user interaction is detected to avoid detection. No compromise of OpenAI or Anthropic infrastructure was found; the attackers simply repurpose the companies' signed binaries and reputation. The operation primarily targets home users and small-to-medium businesses with Windows systems.

AntiMalwareOct 28, 2026Translated from Russian

Malware & Botnets

uCreator Spyware Infiltrates Modified Telegram, WeChat and GCash Builds on Android

Security researcher Ovi has published a detailed analysis of uCreator, also known as YingGai, a commercial Android spyware platform designed for surveillance and remote app control. The malware intercepts messages, verification codes and account data directly inside legitimate applications without requiring root privileges. Infection vectors include tampered Telegram, WeChat and GCash APKs distributed through unofficial sources, as well as the Onion Box container that launches the target app inside a controlled environment. Once active, uCreator hooks into the host process, reads Telegram’s local message database through client interfaces, captures two-factor authentication passwords and hides its own session from the user. The operation is supported by cloud-based command panels and exposed GitLab repositories that revealed server-side code and development history. Compatibility problems have been noted on Android 17, and the total number of victims remains unknown.

AntiMalwareOct 26, 2026Translated from Russian

Malware & Botnets

Researchers Deploy Cowrie Honeypot Disguised as NVIDIA H100 Server to Study SSH Botnet Tactics

A cybersecurity team set up a realistic Cowrie honeypot on a fake server equipped with four NVIDIA H100 GPUs, 128 AMD EPYC cores, and terabytes of storage to observe what SSH brute-force bots actually do after gaining access. The trap used a custom StickyAuth module that allowed entry only after several failed attempts and locked in the successful credential pair per IP address. Over the first 12.5 hours the system recorded 1,846 connections from 126 unique IPs, 175 successful logins, and 1,524 commands executed, with the majority of activity traced to a single botnet linked to the Outlaw group. The attackers deployed SSH keys signed mdrfckr, changed the root password, killed competing processes, installed cron jobs, and downloaded a mining archive called dota3 containing an IRC backdoor and its own SSH scanner. The researchers also identified three realism issues in the base Cowrie setup—limited grep flags, outdated filesystem paths in Debian 12, and inconsistent hostname reporting—and patched them to keep sophisticated bots engaged longer. An auxiliary LLM service later summarized each session in Telegram for easier analysis.

HabrOct 25, 2026Translated from Russian