Iran Likely To Retaliate With Cyberattacks

Iran is likely to respond with cyberattacks against Western businesses in response to the Trump administration's withdrawal from the nuclear deal, cybersecurity experts say. Recent research suggests attacks could come "within months, if not faster," according to security firm Recorded Future.
 
The research paints a detailed picture of how Iran uses contractors and universities to staff its offensive cyber-security operations, or hacking efforts, against foreign targets.
 
A former insider with knowledge of Iran's hacking operations said the attacks are likely to be launched by contractors and thus pose a greater risk of spinning out of control.
 
Recently, President Donald Trump announced the US would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, a pact of Western nations that pledged to lift economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for limiting its nuclear program. The UN's nuclear verification agency said Iran had complied with the agreement. Although there has been no evidence or intelligence to suggest a cyber-attack is in the works, researchers say they predict, based on Iran's past cyber activities, that retaliatory cyber-attacks are likely.
 
"We assess that within months, if not sooner, American companies in the financial, critical infrastructure, oil, and energy sectors will likely face aggressive and destructive cyber-attacks by Iranian state-sponsored actors," said Priscilla Moriuchi, a former NSA analyst, now at Recorded Future.
 
"The Islamic Republic may utilise contractors that are less politically and ideologically reliable, and trusted, and as a result, could be more difficult to control," she said.
 
Countries allied with the US and Europe, like Saudi Arabia and Israel, are also at risk, the report said. Levi Gundert, who co-authored the research, told ZDNet the attacks will likely aim for "maximum impact," such as a malware attack rather than a denial-of-service attack. Much of the research is centered on Iran's long-known history of targeting Western businesses and governments with cyber-attacksin response to sanctions, largely because of how quickly the hackers could turn around an attack.
 
Tehran began strengthening its cyber capabilities following the Green Revolution, a period of intense protests in Iran against the incumbent government during the Arab Spring in 2009.  The government responded with a heavy crackdown, with an increased focus on cyber operations.
 
But some of the best hackers available were primarily young and financially driven, said the report. This led to mistrust and fears that the hackers could be bought by foreign intelligence agencies. According to the former insider, that led to a tiered trust system that centered Tehran's hacking efforts around a central team of trusted and ideologically aligned middle management that dishes out assignments to contractors, often pitting teams against each other, who get paid only when the work is completed. 
 
The government also uses compartmentalisation, giving one team an infiltration mission and using another to launch a remote code execution attack.
 
It's estimated that at least 50 organisations are competing for government hacking work, the research said, including contractors and universities to conduct hacking operations.
 
One such institution, Imam Hossein University, was sanctioned by the US Treasury for its connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's military intelligence unit. But because some of Iran's best operators "are not always the most devout or loyal to the regime," the researchers warn they "could be more difficult to control." That may lead to the IRGC choosing a less ideologically driven contractor, capable of delivering a destructive attack in a short period of time, instead of a trusted and less politically driven contractor.
 
"It is possible that this dynamic could limit the ability of the government to control the scope and scale of these destructive attacks once they are unleashed," the researchers said.  
 
Recorded Future isn't the only company warning of incoming Tehran-backed cyberattacks. Security firm FireEye warned that Iranian hackers were "probing Western critical infrastructure in multiple industries for future attack."
 
"These efforts did not entirely disappear with the agreement, but they did refocus on Iran's neighbors in the Middle East," said John Hultquist, FireEye's director of intelligence analysis, in an email to ZDNet.
 
"With the dissolution of the agreement, we anticipate that Iranian cyberattacks will once again threaten Western critical infrastructure," he said.
 
ZDNet
 
You Might Also Read:
 
Iran’s Cyber Capabilities:
 
The Resurgent Cyber Threat From Iran:
 
 
« Hacker Reveals What He’s Learned
Three Ways That Automation & Machine Learning Are Changing Data Centres »

Infosecurity Europe
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

IT Governance

IT Governance

IT Governance is a leading global provider of information security solutions. Download our free guide and find out how ISO 27001 can help protect your organisation's information.

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North IT (North Infosec Testing) are an award-winning provider of web, software, and application penetration testing.

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

Practice Labs

Practice Labs

Practice Labs is an IT competency hub, where live-lab environments give access to real equipment for hands-on practice of essential cybersecurity skills.

NordLayer

NordLayer

NordLayer is an adaptive network access security solution for modern businesses — from the world’s most trusted cybersecurity brand, Nord Security. 

INSUREtrust

INSUREtrust

INSUREtrust is a pioneer in the industry, inventing the concept of cyber insurance.

Cura Software Solutions

Cura Software Solutions

Cura Software Solutions (formerly Cura Technologies) is a market-leader in Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) enterprise applications.

e-Governance Academy (eGA)

e-Governance Academy (eGA)

eGA is a think tank and consultancy founded for the transfer of knowledge and best practice in e-governance, e-democracy and national cyber security.

Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC)

Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC)

The Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity is developing and shaping cybersecurity research and practice based on a long-term vision of the internet and its future.

Ecubel

Ecubel

Ecubel is the market leader in Belgium in buying and selling used IT harware guaranteed by a certified data erasure.

Global EPIC

Global EPIC

Global EPIC is an international cybersecurity initiative designed to combat growing world challenges by facilitating global collaboration in the field of cyber security.

Krypsis

Krypsis

Krypsys is an information security company with a focus on helping you defend your information and data against emerging security threats.

M2MD Technologies

M2MD Technologies

M2MD Technologies offers solutions optimized for cellular IoT that provide stronger security, reduced costs, enhanced user experience, and ultimately generates higher returns for stakeholders.

SignalSEC

SignalSEC

SignalSEC provides vulnerability intelligence, malware analysis, penetration testing and associated training services.

Purism

Purism

Purism works with hardware component manufactures and the free software community to build high quality hardware that respects your digital life.

Axians

Axians

Axians supports its customers in their digital transformation journey. We offer ICT solutions and services in areas including Enterprise Networks and Cybersecurity.

Mercury Systems

Mercury Systems

Mercury Systems is the leader in making trusted, secure mission-critical technologies profoundly more accessible to aerospace and defense.

Zluri

Zluri

Zluri is a cloud-native SaaSOps platform enabling modern enterprises with SaaS Management and Identity Governance.

SektorCERT

SektorCERT

SektorCERT is the cybersecurity center for the critical infrastructure sectors in Denmark. We help detect and handle when critical infrastructure is exposed to cyber attacks.

AuthenticID

AuthenticID

Our mission at AuthenticID is to combat fraud worldwide and help businesses protect their enterprise and valuable data assets.

GoCloud Systems

GoCloud Systems

GoCloud is an IT consulting firm. We provide IT strategy and cloud adoption services to the New Zealand Government, Non-Profit Organisations and private industry.