Group-IB, a cybersecurity technology creator, has revealed its latest META Intelligence Insights Report. The report provides a detailed snapshot of the region’s evolving cyber threats landscape.

The intelligence report, covering July and August 2025, highlighted a significant increase in cyber threats. Ransomware incidents and phishing attacks were particularly concerning. Group-IB urged organizations to strengthen defenses as both state-sponsored and financially motivated threat actors adapt and target critical sectors.

Key findings from the July-August 2025 report include:

• Banking Mule Threats: Operators in META have upgraded tactics, including satellite connectivity, GPS spoofing, SIM abuse, and device muling, bypassing traditional banking defenses.
• Spear-Phishing Attacks: Sophisticated campaigns targeted CFOs globally, using tools like NetBird and posing as Rothschild & Co recruiters. These attacks were linked to the APT MuddyWater group.
• Regional Malware and Phishing: New DarkBlinder malware was discovered in the GCC, along with Classiscam phishing attacks. QR code-based phishing attacks also surged, often targeting credentials and spoofing IT infrastructure.

Group-IB reported that in August 2025, the GCC accounted for 35% of compromised bank card data, followed by Turkey at 24% and South Africa at 16%. Ransomware incidents rose by 155% across META, affecting sectors like financial services, government, energy, and consumer goods.

To counter these threats, Group-IB recommended proactive cybersecurity measures, including security awareness training, multi-factor authentication, regular audits, and collaboration with threat intelligence services.

Related post

View all