Middle East Malicious Infrastructure Report: 1,350+ C2 Servers Mapped Across 98 Providers
Between February and May 2026, over 1,350 active command-and-control servers were identified across 98 infrastructure providers spanning 14 Middle Eastern countries. Saudi Arabia's STC hosted 981 C2 servers, representing 72.4% of all regional malicious infrastructure, the largest concentration globally. C2 infrastructure dominated at 96.8% of detected activity, with IoT-focused botnets like Hajime, Mozi, and Mirai, alongside offensive frameworks including Tactical RMM, Cobalt Strike, and Sliver representing the primary malware families. The infrastructure supported diverse operations from state-sponsored espionage campaigns like Eagle Werewolf targeting state entities, to Malware-as-a-Service platforms, cryptomining operations, and destructive attacks such as DYNOWIPER. Key providers included SERVERS TECH FZCO in UAE, OMC in Israel, Türk Telekom, and Regxa in Iraq, demonstrating how telecommunications giants and specialized hosting services enable both commodity cybercrime and advanced persistent threat op...
Between February and May 2026, over 1,350 active command-and-control servers were identified across 98 infrastructure providers spanning 14 Middle Eastern countries. Saudi Arabia's STC hosted 981 C2 servers, representing 72.4% of all regional malicious infrastructure, the largest concentration globally. C2 infrastructure dominated at 96.8% of detected activity, with IoT-focused botnets like Hajime, Mozi, and Mirai, alongside offensive frameworks including Tactical RMM, Cobalt Strike, and Sliver representing the primary malware families. The infrastructure supported diverse operations from state-sponsored espionage campaigns like Eagle Werewolf targeting state entities, to Malware-as-a-Service platforms, cryptomining operations, and destructive attacks such as DYNOWIPER. Key providers included SERVERS TECH FZCO in UAE, OMC in Israel, Türk Telekom, and Regxa in Iraq, demonstrating how telecommunications giants and specialized hosting services enable both commodity cybercrime and advanced persistent threat op...
MITRE ATT&CK
Tactics, Techniques & Procedures
Defensive mapping
Mapped controls
The audit will verify each of these controls is in place and effective.
| Control | Confidence | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| EDR with behavioural detection suggested | 75% | Recommended control for apt |
| Network segmentation between user and server tiers suggested | 75% | Recommended control for apt |
| PAM suggested | 75% | Recommended control for apt |
| Threat hunting suggested | 75% | Recommended control for apt |
| Log retention and SIEM suggested | 75% | Recommended control for apt |