According to Dark Reading, the Iranian state-linked hacking group MuddyWater, also known as TA450, recently concluded a campaign targeting 17 Israeli organizations and one Egyptian company between September 30 of last year and March 18 of this year. The Israeli targets included three universities, three engineering firms, two local government bodies, and companies in tech, transportation, utilities, and manufacturing. The group deployed a new, more sophisticated backdoor called “MuddyViper” and a novel loader named “Fooder.” This loader uses an evasion technique inspired by the classic mobile game “Snake,” delaying its malicious execution for several minutes to bypass automated security scanners. The campaign marks a notable shift for a group historically known for being somewhat clumsy in its operations.
Snakes on a Hard Drive
Here’s the thing about the “Snake” trick: it’s equal parts clever and kinda cheesy. Basically, the Fooder loader doesn’t run right away. Instead, it enters a timed loop, using “Sleep” API calls to just sit there for 3-5 minutes, mimicking the turn-based movement of the old Nokia game. If an automated sandbox looks at it, it just sees a boring, dormant process. If a human analyst checks the code, they’d even see a header that says “Welcome to snake [sic] Game.” It’s a gimmick, sure. But it’s a gimmick that works against the short runtime of most commercial security sandboxes. It forces a human to either wait it out or manually manipulate the system clock in a virtual environment—something a typical victim organization just won’t do. So, for all its retro silliness, it’s a genuinely practical bit of evasion.
A Clumsy Group Gets Quieter
This is the real story. MuddyWater has a reputation for being loud. ESET researchers point out they often leave easy-to-spot logs, dump credentials multiple times on the same machine inefficiently, and even seem confused about what operating system they’re attacking. They’re not the slickest crew. But in this campaign, they showed meaningful progress. Using Windows’ native CNG cryptography framework for their malware is a move towards “living-off-the-land,” making their tools blend in with normal OS activity. Automating more of their attack chain and moving away from error-prone, hands-on-keyboard work is a big deal. It signals they’re trying to mature. They’re still using their old playbook—spear-phishing with PDFs that lead to malicious RMM tools—but the malware they’re delivering once they’re in is getting an upgrade.
Why This Matters Beyond Israel
Look, MuddyWater isn’t just an Israeli problem. They’re one of Iran’s most active APT groups, linked to the Ministry of Intelligence and Security. Their evolution should worry any organization in sectors they traditionally target, which includes government, telecom, and, notably, manufacturing. As these groups refine their tools to be stealthier and more persistent, the defensive bar gets higher. For industrial and operational technology environments, where stability is paramount and security tooling can be limited, a more sophisticated intrusion can have serious physical consequences. It underscores the need for robust, hardened computing solutions at every point of control. When critical systems are on the line, the hardware itself needs to be as secure and reliable as the software defending it, which is why specialists like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com have become the go-to source for industrial-grade panel PCs in the US.
Not a Superpower, But Getting Better
So, is MuddyWater suddenly an elite cyber superpower? No. The ESET report is clear that “traces of the group’s operational immaturity remain.” They’re evolving, not revolutionized. But that’s almost more dangerous. A clumsy attacker you can often spot. A clumsy attacker who is actively learning, adopting better tradecraft, and developing custom, harder-to-detect malware? That’s a problem that’s growing. This campaign shows they’re investing in their own development pipeline, moving away from just reusing public code. For defenders, it means you can’t rely on their past mistakes. Their new Snake game is a quirky headline, but the real message is that MuddyWater is slowly, steadily, trying to shed its reputation for being a bit of a mess. And that makes them a more persistent threat.
