Patchwork Targets Turkish Defense Firms with Spear-Phishing Using Malicious LNK Files
Jul 25, 2025
Malware / Threat Intelligence
The threat actor known as Patchwork has been attributed to a new spear-phishing campaign targeting Turkish defense contractors with the goal of gathering strategic intelligence. "The campaign employs a five-stage execution chain delivered via malicious LNK files disguised as conference invitations sent to targets interested in learning more about unmanned vehicle systems," Arctic Wolf Labs said in a technical report published this week. The activity, which also singled out an unnamed manufacturer of precision-guided missile systems, appears to be geopolitically motivated as the timing coincides amid deepening defense cooperation between Pakistan and Türkiye, and the recent India-Pakistan military skirmishes. Patchwork, also called APT-C-09, APT-Q-36, Chinastrats, Dropping Elephant, Operation Hangover, Quilted Tiger, and Zinc Emerson, is assessed to be a state-sponsored actor of Indian origin. Known to be active since at least 2009, the hacking group has a track record ...