# UNC1549

> As of 2026-07-14, UNC1549 is a Iran-nexus threat actor tracked by Threadlinqs Intelligence across 6 threats spanning campaign, apt, malware. Also known as Nimbus Manticore, Smoke Sandstorm, TA455, Subtle Snail. ATT&CK coverage spans 92 techniques across 14 tactics in 6 of 6 tracked threats. Most-observed techniques: T1027 (Obfuscated Files or Information), T1071.001 (Web Protocols), T1105 (Ingress Tool Transfer).

- **Nation:** Iran
- **Tracked threats:** 6
- **Categories:** CAMPAIGN, APT, MALWARE
- **Also known as:** Nimbus Manticore, Smoke Sandstorm, TA455, Subtle Snail, Iranian Dream Job, IRGC-affiliated, Yellow Dev 21
- **As of:** 2026-07-14

## ATT&CK techniques observed

92 techniques observed across 6 of 6 tracked threats. Tactics: Stealth (formerly Defense Evasion) (16), Resource Development (13), Command and Control (11), Discovery (9), Initial Access (9), Execution (7).

- [T1027](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1027) Obfuscated Files or Information — Stealth (formerly Defense Evasion) — observed in 5 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1071.001](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1071.001) Web Protocols — Command and Control — observed in 5 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1105](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1105) Ingress Tool Transfer — Command and Control — observed in 5 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1140](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1140) Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information — Stealth (formerly Defense Evasion) — observed in 5 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1574.001](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1574.001) DLL — Stealth (formerly Defense Evasion) — observed in 5 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1041](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1041) Exfiltration Over C2 Channel — Exfiltration — observed in 4 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1053.005](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1053.005) Scheduled Task — Persistence — observed in 4 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1082](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1082) System Information Discovery — Discovery — observed in 4 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1204.002](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1204.002) User Execution: Malicious File — Execution — observed in 4 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1566.002](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1566.002) Spearphishing Link — Initial Access — observed in 4 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1583.006](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1583.006) Acquire Infrastructure: Web Services — Resource Development — observed in 4 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1005](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1005) Data from Local System — Collection — observed in 3 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1036.005](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1036.005) Match Legitimate Resource Name or Location — Stealth (formerly Defense Evasion) — observed in 3 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1057](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1057) Process Discovery — Discovery — observed in 3 of 6 tracked threats
- [T1090](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/technique/T1090) Proxy — Command and Control — observed in 3 of 6 tracked threats

## Tracked threats

- [ASEC June 2026 APT Trend Report: Nation-State Actors Pivot to Cloud/OAuth Abuse, MaaS, and Supply-Chain Compromise](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/threat/TL-2026-1287) — MEDIUM
- [UNC1549 (Nimbus Manticore / Smoke Sandstorm / TA455 / Subtle Snail): Iran-Nexus IRGC APT Targeting Aerospace, Defense & Telecom via Fake Recruitment Portals and Azure-Hosted Custom Malware](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/threat/TL-2026-0815) — HIGH
- [Iranian "Dream Job" Campaign (TA455 / Charming Kitten) — SnailResin Loader & SlugResin Backdoor Targeting Aerospace, Aviation & Defense](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/threat/TL-2026-0763) — HIGH
- [Nimbus Manticore (UNC1549 / Smoke Sandstorm) Fake Ebix Recruitment Portal — TOTPGuard.dll AppDomainManager Hijacking Sideloading Chain Delivering main.dll Implant](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/threat/TL-2026-0656) — HIGH
- [Nimbus Manticore (UNC1549/IRGC) SQL Developer SEO Poisoning Campaign Delivers MiniFast Backdoor via AppDomain Hijacking — Operation Epic Fury Wave 3](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/threat/TL-2026-0581) — HIGH
- [Screening Serpens (UNC1549) 2026 Espionage Campaign — Six New RATs (MiniUpdate & MiniJunk V2) via AppDomainManager Hijacking](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/threat/TL-2026-0562) — HIGH

## Related CVEs

1 CVE referenced by tracked UNC1549 activity.

- [CVE-2026-21509](https://intel.threadlinqs.com/cve/CVE-2026-21509)

## Full data

Infrastructure, IOC values and detection queries (Splunk SPL / Microsoft KQL / Sigma) require the Threadlinqs MCP server (Purple tier): https://intel.threadlinqs.com/mcp

Canonical: https://intel.threadlinqs.com/actor/UNC1549