[APT42](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1044) is an Iranian-sponsored threat group that conducts cyber espionage and surveillance.(Citation: Mandiant APT42-charms) The group primarily focuses on targets in the Middle East region, but has targeted a variety of industries and countries since at least 2015.(Citation: Mandiant APT42-charms) [APT42](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1044) starts cyber operations through spearphishing emails and/or the PINEFLOWER Android malware, then monitors and collects information from the compromised systems and devices.(Citation: Mandiant APT42-charms) Finally, [APT42](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1044) exfiltrates data using native features and open-source tools.(Citation: Mandiant APT42-untangling) [APT42](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1044) activities have been linked to [Magic Hound](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0059) by other commercial vendors. While there are behavior and software overlaps between [Magic Hound](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0059) and [APT42](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1044), they appear to be distinct entities and are tracked as separate entities by their originating vendor.
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