FDD | Iran Escalates Cyber Operations Targeting U.S.
U.S. Cyber Command warned last week of an active campaign to exploit a known software vulnerability that Iranian hackers have used in the past. Iran’s months-long cyber campaign predates the recent rise in tensions in the Gulf; it is part of Tehran’s attempt to counter U.S. economic pressure via cyber-enabled economic warfare.
After Iran shot down an American drone last month, U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) conducted operations to disable the computer systems Iran uses to control rocket and missile launches. U.S. operations also targeted a hacking group affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). But Iran’s escalation in cyberspace predates these operations; it is part of a long-term response to U.S. sanctions, not a reaction to CYBERCOM’s efforts.
The cybersecurity firms Crowdstrike, Dragos, and Fireeye all told WIRED that prior to CYBERCOM’s operations, they had already seen new, widespread phishing campaigns targeting government and private industry in the U.S. and Europe. It is unclear if the Iran-affiliated hackers compromised any of the networks they attacked, but these hackers have shown they can cause extensive damage. In March, Microsoft estimated that the same group had cost energy companies, heavy machinery companies, and other multinational firms hundreds of millions of dollars over the past two years. Those attacks surged in late 2018, corresponding with the reinstatement of U.S. sanctions on Iran after the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Read more at: https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2019/07/08/iran-escalates-cyber-operations-targeting-u-s/
Later in the week, will probably put most of these "Iran" threads in the main big "crisis" thread on top.
