APT34 Hackers Use Port 8080 for Fake 404 Responses and Shared SSH Keys

Researchers have uncovered early indicators of malicious infrastructure linked to APT34, also known as OilRig, a suspected Iranian threat group notorious for targeting sectors like education, government, energy, telecom, and NGOs.

Between November 2024 and April 2025, a series of domains and servers were tracked, impersonating an academic organization in Iraq (biam-iraq[.]org) and fictitious UK-based technology firms.

Although no active payloads were detected, the setup of this infrastructure featuring shared SSH keys, consistent HTTP decoy behavior on port 8080, and thematic domain patterns offers a critical window for defenders to anticipate future adversary operations.

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Hosted primarily on M247 Europe SRL servers, this dormant infrastructure displays hallmarks of APT34’s tradecraft, mirroring tactics seen in past campaigns involving long-term staging and custom setups.

Technical Patterns Reveal Pre-Operational Tactics

Delving into the technical specifics, the domain biam-iraq[.]org, first identified on Host Sailor in late 2024, transitioned to M247 IPs (38.180.18[.]189 and later 38.180.140[.]30), where it remained for months, suggesting meticulous pre-operational planning.

On port 8080, servers returned a static “404 Not Found” page titled “Document” a decoy response consistent with APT34-linked infrastructure noted in a March 2025 ThreatBook report.

This HTTP behavior, designed to deter scrutiny, was paired with passive DNS records revealing subdomains like mail. and webmail., hinting at potential phishing or credential harvesting setups.

Simultaneously, unrelated .eu domains such as plenoryvantyx[.]eu and zyverantova[.]eu, hosted on the same M247 network, posed as UK tech firms with fabricated branding like “Sphere Spark” and “ZenStack Technologies.”

According to Hunt Report, these sites, registered via P.D.R. Solutions (US) LLC and using regway[.]com nameservers, featured generic content and stock imagery to feign legitimacy.

A standout indicator was the reuse of a single SSH fingerprint (05ce787de86117596a65fff0bab767df2846d6b7fa782b605daeff70a6332eb0) across multiple servers between March 21 and 29, 2025, showcasing a shared provisioning routine.

This, combined with consistent TLS certificates from Let’s Encrypt and overlapping IP usage, forms a detectable pattern for clustering related assets.

While no active malware was observed, these technical traits HTTP responses, SSH key reuse, and domain naming conventions equip defenders with signals to monitor via tools like Hunt.io using tailored HuntSQL queries.

Recognizing such pre-operational staging remains vital, as it shifts the focus from reactive defense to proactive tracking, potentially disrupting APT34 campaigns before they unfold.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

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