# Startup surge sparks spy interest.

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/research-saturday-1377435/startup-surge-sparks-spy-interest
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/research-saturday-1377435/startup-surge-sparks-spy-interest.md
Podcast: [Research Saturday](https://stenobird.com/podcast/research-saturday-1377435)
Published: 2026-04-04T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/research-saturday/419/notes
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/pdrl.fm/6ec23a/traffic.megaphone.fm/CYBW8859278701.mp3?updated=1775232742
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Duration seconds: 1155

## Resource

This week, we are joined by Santiago Pontiroli, Threat Intelligence Research Lead from Acronis TRU team, discussing their work on "New year, new sector: Transparent Tribe targets India’s startup ecosystem." The Acronis Threat Research Unit uncovered a new campaign by Transparent Tribe showing the group has expanded beyond traditional government and defense targets to India’s startup ecosystem, especially cybersecurity and OSINT-focused firms. The attackers use startup-themed lures delivered via ISO files and malicious shortcuts to deploy Crimson RAT, a highly obfuscated tool capable of surveillance, data theft, and system control. Despite this shift, the campaign closely mirrors the group’s long-standing espionage tactics, suggesting startups are being targeted for their connections to government, law enforcement, and sensitive intelligence networks. The research and executive brief can be found here: New year, new sector: Transparent Tribe targets India’s startup ecosystem

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