Iran Hackers Take Inspiration From Snake Video Game

MuddyWater Hides Malware With Game Delay Technique David Perera (@daveperera) • December 2, 2025

Iranian nation-state hackers took inspiration from a mobile phone time-killing mainstay, say security researchers who spotted hackers downloading malware masquerading as the Snake video game.

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A callback to the game - it came preloaded onto Nokia phones by default starting in 1998 although its origins date to the 1970s - isn't nostalgia, say researchers at Eset. Just as the game delays reaction time to the player control commands, a dropper deployed by the group commonly tracked as MuddyWater introduces execution delays to avoid detection by antivirus tools that check for rapid malicious activity.

The technique is a sign of growing sophistication by the group, which U.S. intelligence agencies attributed in 2022 to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, the country's ...