Iranian-backed hackers go to work after US strikes
Advertisement
'We just showed the world: You don't want to mess with us kinetically,' said Bellini, CEO of Bellini Capital. 'But we are wide open digitally. We are like Swiss cheese.'
Hackers have hit banks and defense contractors
Two pro-Palestinian hacking groups claimed they targeted more than a dozen aviation firms, banks and oil companies following the U.S. strikes over the weekend.
The hackers detailed their work in a post on the Telegram messaging service and urged other hackers to follow their lead, according to researchers at the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks the groups' activity.
The attacks were denial-of-service attacks, in which a hacker tries to disrupt a website or online network.
'We increase attacks from today,' one of the hacker groups, known as Mysterious Team, posted Monday.
Advertisement
Federal authorities say they are on guard for additional attempts by hackers to penetrate U.S. networks.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a public bulletin Sunday warning of increased Iranian cyber threats. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a statement Tuesday urging organizations that operate critical infrastructure like water systems, pipelines or power plants to stay vigilant.
While it lacks the technical abilities of China or Russia, Iran has long been known as a 'chaos agent' when it comes to using cyberattacks to steal secrets, score political points or frighten opponents.
Cyberattacks mounted by Iran's government may end if the ceasefire holds and Tehran looks to avoid another confrontation with the U.S. But hacker groups could still retaliate on Iran's behalf.
In some cases, these groups have ties to military or intelligence agencies. In other cases, they act entirely independently. More than 60 such groups have been identified by researchers at the security firm Trustwave.
These hackers can inflict significant economic and psychological blows. Following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, for instance, hackers penetrated an emergency alert app used by some Israelis and directed it to inform users that a nuclear missile was incoming.
'It causes an immediate psychological impact,' said Ziv Mador, vice president of security research at Trustwave's SpiderLabs, which tracks cyberthreats.
Economic disruption, confusion and fear are all the goals of such operations, said Mador, who is based in Israel. 'We saw the same thing in Russia-Ukraine.'
Collecting intelligence is another aim for hackers
While Iran lacks the cyberwarfare capabilities of China or Russia, it has repeatedly tried to use its more modest operations to try to spy on foreign leaders — something national security experts predict Tehran is almost certain to try again as it seeks to suss out President Donald Trump's next moves.
Advertisement
Last year, federal authorities charged three Iranian operatives with trying to hack Trump's presidential campaign. It would be wrong to assume Iran has given up those efforts, according to Jake Williams, a former National Security Agency cybersecurity expert who is now vice president of research and development at Hunter Strategy, a Washington-based cybersecurity firm.
'It's fairly certain that these limited resources are being used for intelligence collection to understand what Israel or the U.S. might be planning next, rather than performing destructive attacks against U.S. commercial organizations,' Williams said.
The Trump administration has cut cybersecurity programs and staff
Calls to bolster America's digital defense come as the Trump administration has moved to slash some cybersecurity programs as part of its effort to shrink the size of government.
CISA has placed staffers who worked on election security on leave and cut millions of dollars in funding for cybersecurity programs for local and state elections.
The CIA, NSA and other intelligence agencies also have seen reductions in staffing. Trump abruptly fired Gen. Timothy Haugh, who oversaw the NSA and the Pentagon's Cyber Command.
The Israel-Iran conflict shows the value of investments in cybersecurity and cyber offense, Mador said. He said Israel's strikes on Iran, which included attacks on nuclear scientists, required sophisticated cyberespionage that allowed Israel to track its targets.
Expanding America's cyber defenses will require investments in education as well as technical fixes to ensure connected devices or networks aren't vulnerable, said Bellini, who recently contributed $40 million toward a new cybersecurity center at the University of South Florida.
There is a new arms race when it comes to cyberwar, Bellini said, and it's a contest America can't afford to lose.
Advertisement
'It's Wile E. Coyote vs. the Road Runner,' Bellini said. 'It will go back and forth, and it will never end.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Iranian Influx Under Biden: Over 700 Illegal Crossers Released Into U.S., Threatening National Safety
(The Center Square) – More than 700 Iranian nationals who illegally entered the U.S. were released into the country by the Biden administration, according to data The Center Square obtained Sunday from a Border Patrol agent. According to the data, from fiscal years 2021 through 2024, Border Patrol agents apprehended 1,504 Iranian nationals who illegally entered the U.S. between ports of entry nationwide. Every year, the numbers increased exponentially. They include 48 Iranian illegal border crossers apprehended in fiscal 2021; 197 apprehended in 2022; 462 apprehended in 2023; and 797 apprehended in 2024. Among those apprehended, 729 Iranians were released into the U.S. under the Biden administration. Throughout the administration, the number of Iranians that were released into the U.S. also increased every year. In 2021, 12 Iranian illegal border crossers were released into the U.S.; in 2022, 40 were released into the U.S.; in 2023, 229 were released into the U.S.; in 2024, 448 were released into the U.S., according to data exclusively obtained by The Center Square. The agent provided the information on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. The Center Square obtained the data after President Donald Trump authorized the use of American-built B2 bombers to strike three nuclear facilities in Iran late Saturday. The data excludes Iranians apprehended at ports of entry and those who illegally entered the U.S. as gotaways. Gotways is the official term used to describe foreign nationals who illegally enter between ports of entry to intentionally evade capture. More than two million gotaways were reported under the Biden administration, The Center Square exclusively reported. Throughout the Biden administration, The Center Square received information from Border Patrol agents that wasn't made public by U.S. Customs and Border Protection related to apprehensions and gotaways. Under the Trump administration, data on how many Iranian nationals were encountered or apprehended so far this year has also not been made public, according to official . CBP officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday about the number of Iranians apprehended or encountered under the Trump administration. Nor did it respond to questions about how many Iranian nationals were identified as 'special interest aliens' or as known or suspected terrorists (KSTs). SIA information hasn't been published by any administration, including under the first Trump administration. A bill filed in Congress last year would require federal reporting of the data, The Center Square . To date, no official in the Biden or Trump administration can confirm how many Iranians have illegally entered the U.S. as gotaways. One Iranian gotaway with ties to terrorism was apprehended in Buffalo, New York, by U.S. federal agents, The Center Square . U.S. officials are under heightened alert in light of numerous Iranians already arrested or indicted for material support for terrorism in just the last few months, The Center Square . Under the Biden administration, the greatest number of KSTs were apprehended in U.S. history: 1,903, The Center Square . The majority, 64%, totaling 1,216, were apprehended at the northern border coming from Canada between fiscal years 2021-2024, according to CBP data. A record 687 KSTs were reported at the southwest border over the same time period. Last September, former President Joe Biden extended a 2001-era national emergency due to increased terrorist threats, including Islamic terrorist threats, The Center Square . This was after of illegal border crossers with ties to the Islamic terrorist group ISIS were released into the country by the Biden administration or evaded capture with ties to an alleged ISIS smuggling ring. Border czar Tom Homan has long warned that Biden administration policies created the greatest national security threat since 9/11, The Center Square . U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, an avid supporter of Trump's targeted attack of Iran, The Center Square that Americans 'are at a greater risk for a major terrorist attack than we have been at any point since Sept. 11, 2001' because of Biden administration policies. Cruz said for years that 'Iran has declared a jihad demanding that terrorists murder Americans. Hamas has declared a jihad demanding that terrorists murder Americans. Hezbollah has declared a jihad demanding that terrorists murder Americans. 'Palestinian Islamic Jihad,' true to their name, has declared a jihad demanding that terrorists murder Americans.' The only response, he argues, was for President Trump to take action to protect Americans, including securing US borders and targeting terrorist organizations that have already killed U.S. servicemembers and are committed to killing Americans.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nobel laureate warns Iran is increasingly repressing its own citizens
One of Iran's most prominent human rights advocates is warning that the Iranian government is using the aftermath of its 12-day war with Israel to escalate repression against its own citizens -- particularly political and civil activists. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, in a video message to ABC News, warned that a surge in executions and widespread arrests since the war began shows that the regime is using the moment to deflect from decades of alleged repression and failed policy, with the aim to "spread fear and terror." "We are now witnessing the intensification of the war between the Islamic Republic and the people of Iran -- a war that's been going on for 46 years," Mohammadi said. MORE: Iran crackdown deepens with speedy executions and arrests While Iranian authorities have publicly celebrated what they call a "victory" over Israel, Mohammadi rejects that claim. "I simply don't believe this," she said. "War weakens the very tools needed to achieve human rights and democracy -- like civil society. I believe that with the Islamic Republic still in power after this war, our work and our fight have now become even more difficult." She warned that the regime, "now weakened," has tightened its grip on civil liberties, turning on alleged traitors from within. Iranian authorities, while acknowledging damage to parts of their nuclear facilities and infrastructure, insist they remain strong and unified. State-affiliated media have framed the recent wave of arrests and executions as necessary measures to protect national security, alleging infiltration and espionage linked to Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. Mohammadi spoke from her home in Tehran, where she is defying a government order to return to Iran's notorious Evin Prison following urgent, life-saving surgery. Mohammadi, who is serving a 13-year, 9-month sentence, was granted a medical furlough from the prison, where many of the country's dissidents and political prisoners are held. She and other activists have expressed particular concern over the condition and fate of Evin's prisoners following Israel's June 23 missile strike on the facility. According to Iran's judiciary spokesperson, at least 71 people were killed in the strike, which the United Nations Human Rights Office condemned as a "gross violation" of international law. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel hit "regime targets and agencies of government repression" across Tehran, including Evin. While Mohammadi also condemned the strike, she warned that what has followed may pose an even greater human rights threat. Mohammadi, who was on furlough at the time of the attack, told ABC News she has spoken extensively with prisoners and their families. "After the attack, the situation inside Evin became extremely securitized," said Mohammadi, who all told has been handed more than 36 years of prison time on multiple charges including committing 'propaganda activity against the state' and 'collusion against state security" -- vaguely defined national security offenses commonly used by authorities to criminalize peaceful dissent. "Prisoner transfers are now happening under heavily militarized conditions." Mohammadi said, "with full sniper coverage [and prisoners] shackled with both handcuffs and leg irons." Following days of uncertainty, Iran's Prisons Organization announced that detainees had been transferred to other prisons across Tehran Province. State media reported that many were moved to facilities including Qarchak Prison and Greater Tehran Prison. "The situation inside both prisons is extremely worrying," Mohammadi said, describing the transferred inmates as "war-affected detainees" now subjected to what she called "severe repression." A source close to the families of several political prisoners, who asked that their name not be used due to fear of reprisals, told ABC News that conditions in Qarchak Prison are "unbearable" and "akin to torture," citing overcrowding, a lack of food and drinking water, poor sanitation, and insufficient access to basic necessities. Three political prisoners -- Golrokh Iraee, Reyhaneh Ansari and Varisheh Moradi -- issued a joint statement from Qarchak Prison, saying, "We do not consider today's suffering of our own to be greater than the suffering imposed on the people of Iran." Mohammadi told ABC News that she is calling for renewed international scrutiny of Iran's treatment of its own citizens. MORE: 71 killed in Israeli attack on Iran prison, official says "I believe our situation has become even more dangerous for the people than it was before the war, and we must expand our human rights activities," she said. "I hope international human rights organizations will refocus their special and particular attention on the repressions now being carried out in Iran after the war -- including the issue of arrests, prisons, torture, forced confessions, and then the executions." Mohammadi also warned that based on "clear evidence and reports," she expects that the government's crackdown on civil society, particularly young people and activists, is likely to "become even more severe" in the coming days. Despite the regime's efforts to silence dissent, Mohammadi said she remains committed to her activism, even as pressure mounts on her, her family, and friends. A member of her support team told ABC News that she has received repeated phone calls demanding her return to prison, and that intelligence agents have summoned, interrogated, and harassed her friends and family in what appears to be an effort to isolate her. Her team also says Iranian financial authorities issued an official order to seize Mohammadi's Nobel Peace Prize award money -- 17 billion toman or approximately USD $400,000 -- echoing a similar tactic used against fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi in 2009. "I want to see an end to the Islamic Republic -- a repressive, theocratic, and authoritarian system that is misogynistic, unreformable, and fundamentally dysfunctional," Mohammadi's said. "But I am against war -- because it drains the strength and capacity of the Iranian people, civil society, and pro-democracy activists." Still, she remains hopeful. "For decades, we've been fighting for freedom, democracy, and equality -- enduring repression, imprisonment, executions, and torture. But we've never backed down," she said. "Until the day democracy is achieved -- I will not stop."
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
ICE Nabs Ali Shahrezaei In San Antonio, Marking Another High-Profile Iranian Arrest
A second Iranian national has been arrested in Texas as tensions seem to be easing after a dramatic exchange of firepower between the U.S. and Iran last month. Social media accounts for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Sunday that its San Antonio office had arrested Ali Shahrezaei, a 42-year-old Iranian citizen who apparently entered the United States illegally in October 2022. Shahrezaei's arrest marks at least the second high-profile Iranian apprehended by federal authorities in Texas in recent weeks. Last week, officials arrested Jamil Bahlouli, a previously deported Iranian man who reentered the U.S. illegally and allegedly skipped a scheduled immigration appointment. Bahlouli was said to have resisted arrest at his home in Austin and slammed the door on deportation officers. He had been convicted of illegal re-entry in Montana earlier this year and now faces up to four years in prison, according to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office Western District of Texas. It is unknown exactly how many Iranians may be in the United States illegally. Federal data shows a sharp uptick in Iranian nationals crossing into the United States illegally in recent years. Border Patrol apprehended 1,504 Iranians from fiscal years 2021 through 2024—nearly half of whom were later released into the country, according to a report from The Center Square. Releases increased year-over-year under the Biden administration, reportedly topping 448 in 2024 alone. One federal agent told The Center Square that the data, obtained on condition of anonymity, do not include so-called 'gotaways'—foreign nationals who enter the U.S. illegally without being apprehended. That figure surpassed 2 million under then-President Biden.
