Iranian Hackers Use Telegram-Controlled Malware to Spy on Dissidents and Journalists

Iranian Hackers Use Telegram-Controlled Malware to Spy on Dissidents and Journalists Swati KhandelwalSep 15, 2026Malware / Cyber Espionage Cybersecurity agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands have detailed a Windows malware that they say Iran's intelligence service uses to spy on dissidents, journalists, and activists around the world. The malware is controlled via the Telegram messaging app and can copy a target's emails and chat messages, take screenshots, and activate the microphone to record audio. The FBI calls it HEAVYGRAM, and the U.K.'s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) calls it CHOSEN BRICK. The joint advisory was published on September 15 by the NCSC, the FBI, and the Netherlands' intelligence service, the AIVD. The FBI also released…