US Attackers Target Iran's Defense Networks

A US cyber-attack on Iranian missile systems in which the US claimed to have recently carried out  would have had to exploit a flaw in Iran's heavily-guarded military network. Citing US official sources, American media reported that the US Army Cyber Command had crippled the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s air defense units after it had shot down a sophisticated drone on June 20.

Military computing security is usually “hardened” to defend against attack but highly-skilled computer scientists in cyber units of modern armies are always working to find a way in.

“The simplest way would be for a special forces member to plug in a USB carrying a virus to the right place,” Loic Guezo of the French Information Security Club told AFP. This is almost certainly how the well-known US-Israeli Stuxnet virus was introduced in 2010, into the computers of Iran’s nuclear complex, according to experts.

Iran at the time accused the US and Israel of using the virus to target its centrifuges used for uranium enrichment.
The Revolutionary Guards are believed to have since bolstered precautionary measures in a bid to isolate their military computer networks from the Internet. However, according to a military expert who requested anonymity, an “anti-aircraft defense system requires radars, control and command centers and ground-to-air missile sites to be inter-connected.”

Those components are connected by Intranet networks that “at one time or another” must be connected to the internet.
“In the past, there was no way to connect to a weapon system,” said Guezo. Today, however, he said most computer operating systems are commercial and vulnerable to attacks even if “everything is done to make them impenetrable.”
“Nothing is impenetrable,” said Guezo.

Modern cyber-crime units, especially American and Israeli, have massive resources at their disposal and recruit high-level experts. Cyber Command became a fully-fledged combat unit within the US army in May with a budget running into billions of dollars.

In Israel, the renowned electronic warfare Unit 8200 attracts the country’s best talent.When cyber attackers “have identified an entry point,” they “intrude the network with messages carrying hyper-aggressive malware which will at least partially cripple the air defense network,” said an anonymous military specialist.

In March 2017, researcher Remy Hemez of the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI) told of how the Israeli army had used a program called SUTER in 2007 to temporarily blind Syrian air defense radars. Operation Orchard, according to Hemez, showed how cyber weapons can successfully be used in battle. Israeli fighter jets had penetrated deep into Syrian air space to destroy a suspected nuclear facility after having disabled Syrian air defenses.

US claim of an attack on Iranian missile launching systems would have required months or even years of preparation, said Guezo. “You have to study the architecture of the equipment and then create attack plans,” Guezo said.

Timesof Israel

You Might Also Read: 

Stuxnet 2.0 - Iran Says Israel Has Launched New Cyber Attacks:

 

« Britain Wants More Women In Cyber Security
GDPR Is Now 1-Year Old »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Syxsense

Syxsense

Syxsense brings together endpoint management and security for greater efficiency and collaboration between IT management and security teams.

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

Watch this webinar to hear security experts from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and SANS break down the myths and realities of what an NGFW is, how to use one, and what it can do for your security posture.

The PC Support Group

The PC Support Group

A partnership with The PC Support Group delivers improved productivity, reduced costs and protects your business through exceptional IT, telecoms and cybersecurity services.

Authentic8

Authentic8

Authentic8 transforms how organizations secure and control the use of the web with Silo, its patented cloud browser.

Clayden Law

Clayden Law

Clayden Law advise global businesses that buy and sell technology products and services. We are experts in information technology, data privacy and cybersecurity law.

Voyager Networks

Voyager Networks

Voyager Networks is an IT solutions business with a focus on Enterprise Networks, Security and Collaborative Communications.

Backup Technology

Backup Technology

Backup Technology is a world leader in the Online Cloud Backup, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity market.

Northbridge Insurance

Northbridge Insurance

Northbridge is a leading Canadian business insurance provider. Services offered include Cyber Risk insurance.

Simeio Solutions

Simeio Solutions

Simeio is a complete Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution provider that engages securely with anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Cyber London (CyLon)

Cyber London (CyLon)

CyLon is a leading cyber security accelerator and seed investment programme. We help entrepreneurs from across the globe to build cyber security businesses, raise investment, and develop partnerships.

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) - Switzerland

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) - Switzerland

The National Cyber Security Centre is Swizerland's competence centre for cybersecurity and the first contact point for businesses, public administrations, and the public for cyber issues.

Ioetec

Ioetec

Ioetec's mission is to connect users to their IoT devices securely, ensuring these devices remain safe to use in our increasingly connected world.

IoTsploit

IoTsploit

IoTsploit provides 20/20 visibility of network connections, protecting critical infrastructure assets from IoT vulnerabilities.

H3Secure

H3Secure

H3 Secure focuses on Secure Data Erasure Solutions, Mobile Device Diagnostics and Information Technology Security Consulting.

ITsMine

ITsMine

ITsMine’s Beyond DLP™? solution is a leading Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution used by organizations to protect against internal and external threats automatically.

MVP Tech

MVP Tech

MVP Tech designs and deploys next generation infrastructures where Security and Technology converge.

Revere Technologies

Revere Technologies

Revere Technologies is a pure-play cyber security solutions and services provider in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Tide Foundation

Tide Foundation

Tide's breakthrough multi-party-cryptography enables TRUE-zero-trust technology that unlocks cyber-herd immunity.

Tidelift

Tidelift

Tidelift provides the tools, data, and strategies that help organizations assess risk and improve the health, security, and resilience of the open source used in their applications.

Finite State

Finite State

Finite State enables product security teams to protect the devices we rely on every day through market-leading software threat, vulnerability, and risk management.

Astran

Astran

At Astran, we revolutionize data security by introducing a groundbreaking solution for data confidentiality headaches.