They said these operations have targeted over 1,200 people and remain active. The Iran-backed groups target peoples’ mobile phones and PCs with sophisticated spyware to collect sensitive data, including call recordings, messages, and locations. One group, known as APT-C-50 or “Domestic Kitten,” spies on dissidents’ mobile phones, tricking people into downloading malicious software under the guise of popular apps. Victims included internal dissidents, opposition forces, ISIS advocates, people in the Kurdish minority in Iran, and more. According to the researchers, hackers lured victims into installing a malicious application through multiple vectors, including an Iranian blog site, Telegram channels, and an SMS with a link to the malicious application. The malware planted could record calls, track locations, steal media videos and photos, and more.