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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Iran-linked hackers may target U.S. firms and critical infrastructure, U.S. government warns
FILE PHOTO: A hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo Iranian-affilited hackers may target U.S. companies and critical infrastructure operators, particularly defense organizations with holdings or relationships with Israeli research and defense firms, according to an advisory from U.S. government officials Monday. The FBI, National Security Agency, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) and the Department of Homeland Security's civilian cybersecurity defense wing said in a statement issued alongside the advisory that while there are no indications of a coordinated Iranian-linked malicious cyber campaign so far, organizations should ensure their defenses are up to date. "Despite a declared ceasefire and ongoing negotiations towards a permanent solution, Iranian-affiliated cyber actors and hacktivist groups may still conduct malicious cyber activity," the agencies said in the advisory. Cybersecurity researchers and defenders in Israel and the U.S. have so far seen little Iranian-linked cyber activity of consequence in the wake of the war launched by Israel June 13, followed by U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22. Iranian state-sponsored hackers are known to exploit existing vulnerabilities in unpatched or outdated software and compromise internet-connected accounts and devices that use default or weak passwords, as well as work with ransomware operators to encrypt, steal and leak sensitive information, the agencies said Monday. In November 2023, hackers said by the U.S. government to be affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards hacked equipment located in water and wastewater treatment systems in multiple states. The attacks targeted an Israeli-made device and came shortly after the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Iran's hackers keep a low profile after Israeli and US strikes
FILE PHOTO: A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/ File Photo After Israeli and American forces struck Iranian nuclear targets, officials in both countries sounded the alarm over potentially disruptive cyberattacks carried out by the Islamic Republic's hackers. But as a fragile ceasefire holds, cyber defenders in the United States and Israel say they have so far seen little out of the ordinary – a potential sign that the threat from Iran's cyber capabilities, like its battered military, has been overestimated. There has been no indication of the disruptive cyberattacks often invoked during discussions of Iran's digital capabilities, such as its alleged sabotage of tens of thousands of computers at major oil company Saudi Aramco in 2012, or subsequent break-ins at U.S. casinos or water facilities. "The volume of attacks appears to be relatively low," said Nicole Fishbein, a senior security researcher with the Israeli company Intezer. "The techniques used are not particularly sophisticated." Online vigilante groups alleged by security analysts to be acting at Iran's direction boasted of hacking a series of Israeli and Western companies in the wake of the airstrikes. A group calling itself Handala Hack claimed a string of data heists and intrusions, but Reuters was not able to corroborate its most recent hacking claims. Researchers say the group, which emerged in the wake of Palestinian militant group Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, likely operates out of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence. Rafe Pilling, lead threat intelligence researcher at British cybersecurity company Sophos, said the impact from the hacking activity appeared to be modest. 'As far as we can tell, it's the usual mix of ineffectual chaos from the genuine hacktivist groups and targeted attacks from the Iran-linked personas that are likely having some success but also overstating their impact,' he said. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not respond to a request for comment. Iran typically denies carrying out hacking campaigns. Israeli firm Check Point Software said a hacking campaign it ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guards has in recent days sent phishing messages to Israeli journalists, academic officials and others. In one case, the hackers tried to lure a target to a physical meeting in Tel Aviv, according to Sergey Shykevich, Check Point's threat intelligence group manager. He added that the reasoning behind the proposed meeting was not clear. Shykevich said there have been some data destruction attempts at Israeli targets, which he declined to identify, as well as a dramatic increase in attempts to exploit a vulnerability in Chinese-made security cameras – likely to assess bomb damage in Israel. The pro-Iranian cyber operations demonstrate an asymmetry with pro-Israeli cyber operations tied to the aerial war that began on June 13. In the days since the start of the conflict, suspected Israeli hackers have claimed to have destroyed data at one of Iran's major state-owned banks. They also burned roughly $90 million in cryptocurrencies that the hackers allege were tied to government security services. Israel's National Cyber Directorate did not return a message seeking comment. Analysts said the situation is fluid and that more sophisticated cyber espionage activity may be flying under the radar. Both Israeli and U.S. officials have urged industry to be on the lookout. A June 22 Department of Homeland Security bulletin warned that the ongoing conflict was causing a heightened threat environment in the U.S. and that cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against U.S. networks. The FBI declined to comment on any potential Iranian cyber activities in the United States. Yelisey Bohuslavskiy, the cofounder of intelligence company Red Sense, compared Iran's cyber operations to its missile program. The Iranian weapons that rained down on Israel during the conflict killed 28 people and destroyed thousands of homes, but most were intercepted and none significantly damaged the Israeli military. Bohuslavskiy said Iranian hacking operations seemed to work similarly. 'There is a lot of hot air, there is a lot of indiscriminate civilian targeting, and - realistically - there are not that many results,' he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Suspected Israeli hackers claim to destroy data at Iran's Bank Sepah
FILE PHOTO: A hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/ File Photo An anti-Iranian government hacking group with potential ties to Israel and a track record of destructive cyberattacks on Iran claimed in social media posts on Tuesday that it had destroyed data at Iran's state-owned Bank Sepah. The group — known as Gonjeshke Darande, or 'Predatory Sparrow' — hacked the bank because they accused it of helping fund Iran's military, according to one of the messages posted online. The hack comes amid increasing hostilities between Israel and Iran, after Israel attacked multiple military and nuclear targets in Iran last week. Both sides have launched multiple missile attacks against each other in the days since. Reuters could not immediately verify the attack on Bank Sepah. The bank's website was offline on Tuesday and its London-based subsidiary, Bank Sepah International plc, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Customers were having problems accessing their accounts, according to Israeli media. Gonjeshke Darande did not respond to multiple messages sent via social media. 'Disrupting the availability of this bank's funds, or triggering a broader collapse of trust in Iranian banks, could have major impacts there,' Rob Joyce, the former top cybersecurity official at the NSA, said in a post on X. In 2022, Gonjeshke Darande claimed responsibility for a cyberattack against an Iranian steel production facility. The sophisticated attack caused a large fire at the facility, resulting in tangible, offline damage. Such attacks are usually beyond the capabilities of activist hackers, security experts say, and would be more in line with the capabilities of a nation state. The group has also been publicly linked by cybersecurity researchers to a 2021 cyberattack that caused widespread outages at gas stations across Iran. Israel has never formally acknowledged that it is behind the group, although Israeli media has widely reported Gonjeshke Darande as 'Israel-linked'. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
09-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
South Korea close to $6 billion tank deal with Poland in June, Yonhap reports
FILE PHOTO: A K2 tank, delivered in the first batch of arms from South Korea under contracts signed in recent months, fires during a military drill at a military range in Wierzbiny near Orzysz, Poland, March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Polish soldiers ride the South Korean-made K2 tank during trial drills prior to annual artillery show 'Autumn Fire 23' at a military range in Bemowo Piskie near Orzysz, Poland, September 16, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo South Korea close to $6 billion tank deal with Poland in June, Yonhap reports SEOUL - South Korea is close to signing a deal worth around $6 billion to supply 180 K2 tanks for Poland, Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday. Under the contract, South Korea's Hyundai Rotem, which specialises in industrial and defence contracts, will manufacture 117 tanks, and Poland state-owned Polish Armaments Group will produce the rest locally, Yonhap said. Hyundai Rotem was not immediately available for comment. The signing ceremony will take place in late June in Poland, Yonhap said, citing an anonymous industry source. The two countries in 2022 reached a $13.7 billion arms deal, Seoul's biggest ever, which included supplies of South Korean K2 tanks, rocket launchers and fighter jets to Poland. South Korea used the deal to lay the groundwork for a military-industrial juggernaut that the two nations' defence companies hope would feed Europe's hunger for weapons far into the future. The K2 tank supply contract, part of the broader deal in 2022, was expected to be finalised by the end of last year but appeared to be delayed, partly due to South Korea's political crisis sparked by the short-lived declaration of martial law in December, Yonhap added. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
CD Projekt launches Cyberpunk 2077 game on Nintendo Switch 2
Boxes with CD Projekt's game Cyberpunk 2077 are displayed in Warsaw, Poland, December 14, 2020. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo GDANSK (Reuters) -Poland's biggest game developer CD Projekt said on Thursday that "Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition" had been launched on the Nintendo Switch 2 console, bringing it to Nintendo players for the first time. Back catalogue sales have become more important for developers due to the increasing number of delays to new games. Last month, Tomb Raider owner Embracer said it was leaning on its back catalogue to maintain cash flow while fewer games are being released. Since the release of "Phantom Liberty" expansion to "Cyberpunk 2077" in September 2023, CD Projekt has been relying on sales of existing games from its back catalogue. Erste Group analyst Krzysztof Tkocz said in a note to clients that the release on Nintendo Switch 2 "will have a significant impact on the company's results in second quarter and subsequent quarters". Gaming fans queued up for the launch of Nintendo's Switch 2 on Thursday amid pent-up demand for the more powerful next-generation gaming device. "We expect that this could be one of the most popular 3rd party games at the launch of the new console", Trigon DM analyst Grzegorz Balcerski said in a note to clients. The price of the game has been set at $69.99 for Nintendo Switch 2. (Reporting by Adrianna Ebert; Editing by Matt Scuffham)
