CNN
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The US defense company operating in Israel is at high risk of cyberattacks from Iran despite the Israeli-Iran ceasefire, and U.S. cybersecurity and defense agencies warned on Monday.
“Based on the current geopolitical environment, cyber actors associated with Iran could target US devices and networks for short-term cyber operations,” said advice from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Cybercrime Centre.
The agency says that US defense contractors, “especially those who own or have connections with Israeli research and defense companies, are at higher risk.”
Iran and Israel have been carrying out intense cyber operations against each other for many years. US officials are increasingly concerned that US organizations with ties to Israel could become involved in intersections.
Iran is said to have been behind a devastating cyberattack on Israel’s educational technology organizations in 2023. Earlier this month, Israeli hacking groups claimed it was a revenge against the IRGC, stealing $90 million from Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.
After the US military dropped a massive bomb on Iran’s nuclear site more than a week ago, critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and water plants, has been on high alert about Iran’s retaliation in cyberspace. Although there has not yet been a Hack of Iranians by US organizations, senior US officials have been paying close attention to Iran’s aggressive and unpredictable history of cyber operations.
CNN requested comment on the new US consultation from Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations.
After Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel in October 2023, hackers linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards scanned the internet for Israeli-made industrial software installed in US water factories and other facilities, according to US authorities. The global hacking campaign included dozens of US casualties in the water, energy, food, beverage and health sectors, the new advisor said.
Ploilan Hackingspley, who was said to have exploited weak US defenses without robbing them of advanced skills, influenced people who never expected to be the target of someone allegedly sitting in Tehran. In one case, the hacker forced a water operator in a small town outside of Pittsburgh to manually operate the pump station.
“It was probably the farthest thing from my heart,” Robert J. Bible, general manager of the Alikippa Water Bureau, told CNN in November 2023, noting that he was caught up in a cyberattack related to the Israeli-Gaza War. “Especially for the community. We only provide 15,000 people. We can’t bring two and two together.”
Experts say the top goal of Iran’s hacking operations is psychological. Hackers have exaggerated their exploits using online personas and have actively tried to get journalists to write about their activities. These personas have been active online recently, claiming successful cyberattacks on various targets after Israel attacked Iran more than two weeks ago.
“If it’s there and vulnerable, they’re likely to target it,” a US official who was monitoring the potential Iranian hacking threat to critical infrastructure told CNN previously.