Targeting of Middle Eastern telecommunications providers
Date of report
  • March 2023
Affiliations
The Chinese state actor Gallium targeted Middle Eastern telecommunications companies in a prolonged spear-phishing campaign dubbed Operation Soft Cell. After gaining access, attackers have been observed stealing credentials, performing general reconnaissance, and exfiltrating data.
Suspected victims
  • Middle Eastern telecommunications companies
Suspected state sponsor
  • China
Type of incident
  • Espionage
Target category
  • Private sector
Victim government reaction
  • Unknown
Policy response
Suspected state sponsor response