Cyber Threat Intelligence
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ID
Ransomware Victim Public Sector

IDF in Farsi

Ransomware attack by Handala · Disclosed March 6, 2026 · 🇮🇷 IR

Date Disclosed
Mar 6, 2026
2026
Threat Group
Handala
175 total victims
Country
🇮🇷 IR
Industry
Public Sector

ThreatAI Analysis

Compiled from this incident record and the threat intelligence profile for Handala. Figures and technique mappings are quoted from the source data, not inferred.

About the Handala group

Not a Ransomware Group Handala has listed 175 victims since April 2024.

How Handala is documented to operate

Valid Accounts T1078 Stealth Persistence

Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of existing accounts as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion. Compromised credentials may be used to bypass access controls placed on various resources on systems within the network and may even be used for persistent access to remote systems and externally available services, such as VPNs, Outlook Web Access, network devices, and remote desktop. Compromised credentials may also grant an adversary increased privilege to specific systems or access to restricted areas of the network.

Mitigations: Application Developer Guidance, User Training, Password Policies, User Account Management, Privileged Account Management, Multi-factor Authentication

MITRE ATT&CK reference →
External Remote Services T1133 Persistence Initial Access

Adversaries may leverage external-facing remote services to initially access and/or persist within a network. Remote services such as VPNs, Citrix, and other access mechanisms allow users to connect to internal enterprise network resources from external locations. There are often remote service gateways that manage connections and credential authentication for these services. Services such as Windows Remote Management and VNC can also be used externally. Access to Valid Accounts to use the service is often a requirement, which could be obtained through credential pharming or by obtaining the credentials from users after compromising the enterprise network.

Mitigations: Limit Access to Resource Over Network, Restrict Web-Based Content, Network Segmentation, Multi-factor Authentication, Disable or Remove Feature or Program

MITRE ATT&CK reference →
Exploit Public-Facing Application T1190 Initial Access

Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network. The weakness in the system can be a software bug, a temporary glitch, or a misconfiguration. Exploited applications are often websites/web servers, but can also include databases (like SQL), standard services (like SMB or SSH), network device administration and management protocols (like SNMP and Smart Install), and any other system with Internet-accessible open sockets. On ESXi infrastructure, adversaries may exploit exposed OpenSLP services; they may alternatively exploit exposed VMware vCenter servers.

Mitigations: Vulnerability Scanning, Limit Access to Resource Over Network, Filter Network Traffic, Network Segmentation, Privileged Account Management, Application Isolation and Sandboxing

MITRE ATT&CK reference →
Trusted Relationship T1199 Initial Access

Adversaries may breach or otherwise leverage organizations who have access to intended victims. Access through trusted third party relationship abuses an existing connection that may not be protected or receives less scrutiny than standard mechanisms of gaining access to a network. Organizations often grant elevated access to second or third-party external providers in order to allow them to manage internal systems as well as cloud-based environments. Some examples of these relationships include IT services contractors, managed security providers, infrastructure contractors (e.g. HVAC, elevators, physical security).

Mitigations: Network Segmentation, User Account Management, Multi-factor Authentication

MITRE ATT&CK reference →

MITRE ATT&CK techniques attributed to Handala across its recorded activity, not a finding about how IDF in Farsi was reached.

Incident Analysis

IDF in Farsi was targeted by Handala ransomware, one of the most active ransomware groups in our database with 175 confirmed victims globally. The attack was disclosed on March 6, 2026, when IDF in Farsi appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

IDF in Farsi is based in IR , operating in the Public Sector sector. IR ranks #58 globally for ransomware attacks, with 21 victims in our database.

Sector context: Organisations in this sector hold valuable data and operational systems that ransomware groups seek to exploit for financial gain through encryption and data exfiltration.

Handala typically employs a double extortion model: first exfiltrating sensitive data from the victim's systems, then deploying ransomware to encrypt files. Victims face two simultaneous threats — paying to restore access and paying to prevent publication of stolen data. The group's leak site publishes victim names and exfiltrated data as leverage.

Data source: This incident record is sourced from public ransomware group leak site disclosures aggregated via the ransomware.live API. Disclosure date reflects when the victim was published on the leak site, which may differ from the initial date of compromise. This platform does not publish or link to stolen data. Last data update: Sep 5, 2026 18:00 UTC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was IDF in Farsi attacked by ransomware?

Yes. IDF in Farsi was listed as a victim of the Handala ransomware group on March 6, 2026. The organisation is based in IR and operates in the Public Sector sector. The disclosure appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Which ransomware group attacked IDF in Farsi?

IDF in Farsi was attacked by Handala ransomware. Handala is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 175 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the IDF in Farsi ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on IDF in Farsi was disclosed on March 6, 2026. This date reflects when the victim was published on the threat group's leak site, which may differ from the actual date of initial compromise.

What data was stolen in the IDF in Farsi ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from IDF in Farsi has not been independently verified by this platform. Ransomware groups typically exfiltrate data before encrypting systems and use the threat of publication to pressure victims. As a Public Sector organisation, IDF in Farsi likely held sensitive business data, client information, and operational records.

How can organisations protect against Handala attacks?

To defend against Handala and similar threat actors, organisations should: maintain regular offline backups tested for restoration; implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement; deploy multi-factor authentication on all remote access; use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools; conduct regular phishing and security awareness training; and monitor threat intelligence feeds for indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with active groups.