Infographic: Desert Falcons: Arabic Cyberspies Expand Their Hunt for Digital Secrets

The time line and geography of these recently uncovered campaigns reveal a disturbing trend in the cyberthreat landscape. The first known Arabic cyberespionage operation, Desert Falcons, is spreading its wings. As the group has stepped up its attacks on military, government, and other high-profile organizations in the Middle East, it’s also extended its reach to Western nations, including the United States. Using basic hacking tricks like spear phishing and backdoors to penetrate PC and mobile operating systems, the Falcons have already stolen more than 1 million sensitive files. Kaspersky security experts warn that the damage could escalate as the relentless and watchful cyberspies develop more sophisticated techniques.