Cyber Threat Actor: Project Raven

Thethreat actor referenced in the sources is a state‑linked group operating on behalf of the United Arab Emirates government. No public alias is provided in the material; the actor is identified solely through statements by U.S. intelligence officials who attributed the activity to senior members of the UAE government who discussed and approved the operation. The actor’s targeting is explicitly described as focusing on Qatari government news outlets and social‑media platforms, with the aim of disseminating false statements attributed to Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al‑Thani, in order to provoke regional instability. The strategic objective, as stated by the officials, was to spark upheaval between Qatar and its neighbors through a disinformation campaign rather than to pursue financial gain or traditional espionage.

The tactics, techniques and procedures referenced in the reporting are limited to the compromise of Qatari government news and social‑media sites and the subsequent posting of incendiary false quotes. No specific malware families, exploit kits, or initial‑access vectors are mentioned in the sources, so no further technical detail can be supplied without speculation. Attribution is explicitly tied to the UAE state: U.S. intelligence officials said that senior UAE officials had discussed the plan and its implementation on May 23, 2017, although it remained unclear whether the Emirates conducted the hacks directly or contracted them out. The most notable operation cited is the May 2017 intrusion into Qatari government media channels, during which fabricated remarks praising Iran and Hamas were posted, an act that contributed to the ensuing diplomatic rift between Qatar and several Gulf states. This incident is presented as the primary publicly reported campaign linked to the actor. No additional campaigns, malware, or infrastructure details are provided in the supplied material, so the profile is confined to the facts presented.