Metador

Metador is a threat actor that has been discovered to target telecommunication companies, internet service providers, and universities. The group was first identified by SentinelLabs about a year ago but remains largely unattributed due to its elusive nature, placing it in the same category as other mysterious cyber adversaries. The development style of Metador's malware suggests an advanced threat actor; however, inconsistencies between the high-quality development and poor segmentation practices hint at the possibility of a private contractor or mercenary group behind this threat. The enigmatic characteristics of Metador are similar to those of Sandman and LuaDream, two other Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups. These groups share a continuous innovation and advancement effort in their malware arsenal, making them formidable cyber espionage threat actors. Although there is no direct association between LuaDream and any known threat actor, researchers speculate that it might also be operated by a private contractor or mercenary group, akin to Metador. Given the mysterious nature of these threat actors, cybersecurity researchers have initiated a crowdsourcing effort to identify Metador APT. This initiative underscores the challenges in attributing cyber threats and the need for collective efforts in combating such advanced and elusive adversaries. Despite the mystery surrounding these threat actors, their activities serve as a stark reminder of the persistent and evolving nature of cyber threats in today's digital landscape.