Cyberwarfare is a part of Iran's "soft war" military strategy. Being both a victim and wager of cyberwarfare,[1] Iran is considered an emerging military power in the field.[2]

Since November 2010, an organization called "The Cyber Defense Command" (Persian: قرارگاه دفاع سایبری; Gharargah-e Defa-e Saiberi) has been operating in Iran under the supervision of the country's "Passive Civil Defense Organization" (Persian: سازمان پدافند غیرعامل; Sazeman-e Padafand-e Gheyr-e Amel) which is itself a subdivision of the Joint Staff of Iranian Armed Forces.[3]

According to a 2014 report by Institute for National Security Studies, Iran is "one of the most active players in the international cyber arena".[4] In 2013, a Revolutionary Guards general stated that Iran has "the 4th biggest cyber power among the world's cyber armies."[5][6]

According to a 2021 report by a cyber-security company, "Iran is running two surveillance operations in cyber-space, targeting more than 1,000 dissidents".[7]

NIN

Iranian cyber defense system - digital fortress part of national information network (national internet) - is developed for thwarting attacks and engaging attackers.[8] In November 2022, the Iranian Majlis Islamic Consultative Assembly recommended a Passive Defence Incorporation.[9]

Attacks against Iran

In June 2010, Iran was the victim of a cyber-attack when its nuclear facility in Natanz was infiltrated by the cyber-worm 'Stuxnet'.[10] Reportedly a combined effort by the United States and Israel,[11] Stuxnet destroyed perhaps over 1,000 nuclear centrifuges and, according to a Business Insider article, "[set] Tehran's atomic programme back by at least two years."[12] The worm spread beyond the plant to allegedly infect over 60,000 computers, but the government of Iran indicates it caused no significant damage. Iran crowdsourced solutions to the worm and is purportedly now better positioned in terms of cyber warfare technology.[10] No government has claimed responsibility for the worm.[12] The cyber-worm was also used against North Korea.

Events

  • In October 2013, media reported Mojtaba Ahmadi, who served as commander of the "Cyber War Headquarters" was found dead wounded by bullets in Karaj.[13]
  • Israel November 2018: The Iranian telecommunication minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi accuses Israel of a failed cyberattack on its telecommunications infrastructure, and vows to respond with legal action.[14][15]
  • October 2021: An attack paralyzed gas stations across the country, preventing users from purchasing fuel using state-issued cards and digital billboards displaying antigovernment messages
  • In September, October and November 2022, Iranian state networks and emails came under attack by Anonymous and other hacking groups acting in solidarity with Iranian protestors.[16]
  • In the year 2023 several government ministries were fully hacked by multiple people including Ministry of Science research and technology on September 23.[17][18][19] Veterans affairs[20] Ministry of foreign affairs(50TB)[21] Central Insurance and 19 subsidiary corporations(119 million lines records)[22][23][24] City of Tehran municipality , State news bulletin[25] National Civil Registration vital records organization database(20TB)[26] Atomic Energy Organization[27] Presidency[28] Ridesharing company Tapsi was hacked as well.
  • December 2023 seventy percent of entire national Iranian fuel pumps taken out, Predators Sparrow took responsibility[29]

Attacks by Iran

The Iranian government has been accused by Western analysts of its own cyber-attacks against the United States, Israel and Persian Gulf Arab countries, but denied this, including specific allegations of 2012 involvement in hacking into American banks.[12] The conflict between Iran and the United States has been called "history's first known cyber-war" by Michael Joseph Gross in mid-2013.[30]

Events

  • Israel August 2014: An IDF official told the press that Iran has launched numerous significant attacks against Israel's Internet infrastructure.[31]
  • Turkey 31 March 2015: There was a massive power outage for 12 hours in 44 of 81 provinces of Turkey, holding 40 million people. Istanbul and Ankara were among the places suffering blackouts. According to Observer.com, Iranian hackers, possibly the Iranian Cyber Army, were behind the power outage.[32]
  • United Kingdom June 2017: The Daily Telegraph reported that intelligence officials concluded that Iran was responsible for a cyberattack on the British Parliament lasting 12 hours that compromised around 90 email accounts of MPs. The motive for the attack is unknown but experts suggested that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could be using cyberwarfare to undermine the Iran nuclear deal.[33]
  • Israel January 2022: The website of Israel's Jerusalem Post newspaper and the Twitter account of Maariv newspaper are hacked by suspected Iranian hackers. The website's content was replaced with a threat to target the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, and an apparent reference to Qasem Soleimani who was assassinated exactly two years earlier in Baghdad, Iraq.[34][35]
  • Israel March 2022: Large-scale cyberattacks were launched against multiple Israeli government websites, allegedly by Iran as retaliation for failed Mossad operations, though neither the attack attribution nor the purported Mossad operations could be confirmed as of March 2022. The National Cyber Directorate declared a state of emergency as a result of the attacks and unnamed defense sources told media outlets it was possibly the largest-ever cyberattack against Israel.[36][37]
  • Albania November 2022: Iranian hackers attacked Albanian networks.[38][39]
  • United States November seventeen American networks system were turned into mining crypto because of existing undefended vulnerability.[40]
  • 2023 Moneybird ransomware was used by Agrius against Israeli people.[41] Cyberattack on Israeli university was blamed on Iranian ministry of intelligence.[42] Attacks attributed to Iranians targeted Israeli ports and Haifa harbors.[43]
  • Disinformation en masse sponsored by state targeted Iranians in 2023.[44]
  • 2023 IRGC Cybersecurity command attacked dissidents according to German state[45]
  • A U.S. Pennsylvania water network[46]
  • Sophos and Zimperium report Iranian citizens credentials hacked by Iranian hackers , with Firebase , C2 (C&C) iOS , Android malware apps called Bank Saderat , Central Bank and Bank Mellat [47]
  • December 14th 2023 ESET documented OilRig group which is state sponsored use C&C attacks [48]

Command and control

Iranian armed forces install malware apps for espionage on android phones.[49] They could steal victims identity according to Microsoft.[50]

Suspended Iranian accounts

On May 5, 2020, Reuters reported, quoting a monthly Facebook report, that Iranian state-run media had targeted hundreds of fake social media accounts to covertly spread pro-Iranian messaging, online since at least 2011, for secretly broadcasting online promotional messages in favor of Iran in order targeting voters in countries including Britain and the United States.[51] Accounts were suspended for coordinated inauthentic behavior, which removed eight networks in recent weeks, including one with links to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.[51]

See also

Alleged operations and malware against Iran
Alleged operations and malware by Iran

References

  1. ↑ Joshi, Shashank. "Iran, the Mossad and the power of cyber-warfare". Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Iran's military is preparing for cyber warfare". The Telegraph. October 3, 2013. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  3. ↑ Bastani, Hossein (December 13, 2012). "Structure of Iran's Cyber Warfare". Institut Français d’Analyse Stratégique. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  4. ↑ Siboni, Gabi; Kronenfeld, Sami (April 3, 2014). "Developments in Iranian Cyber Warfare, 2013–2014". INSS Insight. Institute for National Security Studies. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Israeli Think Tank Acknowledges Iran as Major Cyber Power, Iran Claims its 4th Biggest Cyber Army in World". Hack Read. October 18, 2013. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  6. ↑ "- IRANIAN CYBER THREAT TO THE U.S. HOMELAND". www.govinfo.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  7. ↑ "Iran 'hides spyware in wallpaper, restaurant and games apps'". BBC News. 8 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-07. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  8. ↑ "شکست حملات سایبری در مقابل"دژفا"". 2020-02-09. Archived from the original on 2020-02-09. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  9. ↑ "آغاز جلسه علنی مجلس/ طرح تشکیل سازمان پدافند غیرعامل در دستور". 6 November 2022. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Stuxnet and the Future of Cyber War". James P. Farwell and Rafal Rohozinski.
  11. ↑ Sanger, David E. (1 June 2012). "Obama Order Sped Up Wave of Cyberattacks Against Iran". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 "US General: Iran's Cyber War Machine 'A Force To Be Reckoned With'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  13. ↑ McElroy, Damien (October 2, 2013). "Iranian cyber warfare commander shot dead in suspected assassination". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Iran accuses Israel of failed cyber attack". Reuters. 5 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-05-28. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  15. ↑ "Iran accuses Israel of failed cyber attack - CNA". Archived from the original on 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  16. ↑ Turak, Ryan Browne,Natasha (5 October 2022). "Hacktivists seek to aid Iran protests with cyberattacks and tips on how to bypass internet censorship". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2023-03-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ "ماجرای حمله سایبری به سایت وزارت علوم چه بود؟". اعتمادآنلاین (in Persian). 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  18. ↑ فردا, رادیو (2023-09-24). "سایت وزارت علوم ایران "هک شد"؛ هکرها می‌گویند به "بیش از ۲۰ هزار سند" دست یافته‌اند". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  19. ↑ قربانی, زهرا (2023-09-23). "ماجرای هک سایت وزارت علوم چیست؟ / سامانه‌های دولتی زیر ذره‌بین هکر‌ها". راه پرداخت (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  20. ↑ "واکنش عجیب رییس بنیاد شهید به هک شدن سرورهای این سازمان؛ اطلاعاتی حساسی نداشتیم!". اعتمادآنلاین (in Persian). 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  21. ↑ "ماجرای هک سایت وزارت امور خارجه چه بود؟". اعتمادآنلاین (in Persian). 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  22. ↑ "هک شرکت‌های بیمه در ایران و نگرانی از ضعف امنیت سایبری". BBC News فارسی (in Persian). 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  23. ↑ فردا, رادیو (2023-09-04). "برکناری رئیس کل بیمه مرکزی ایران در پی اخبار "هک اطلاعات ۱۸ شرکت بیمه"". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  24. ↑ "پس‌لرزه‌های هک اطلاعات ۱۸ شرکت بیمه؛ رئیس کل بیمه مرکزی ایران برکنار شد". صدای آمریکا (in Persian). 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  25. ↑ "ابعاد هک و انتشار اطلاعات شخصی خبرنگاران و کارکنان خبرگزاری فارس بررسی شود". اعتمادآنلاین (in Persian). 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  26. ↑ قربانی, زهرا (2023-09-20). "ماجرای هک سازمان ثبت‌احوال چه بود؟". راه پرداخت (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  27. ↑ "هشدار هکرهای بلک رویوارد: اگر رژیم به خواست مردم تن ندهد، اسناد هسته‌ای را رو می کنیم". ایران اینترنشنال (in Persian). 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  28. ↑ https://www.iranintl.com/202306156018
  29. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/persian/articles/crg0n7xjy48o.amp
  30. ↑ "Silent War" Archived 2014-11-15 at the Wayback Machine July 2013 Vanity Fair
  31. ↑ Joseph Marks (22 April 2015). "Iran launched major cyberattacks on the Israeli Internet". Politico. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  32. ↑ Micah Halpern (22 April 2015). "Iran Flexes Its Power by Transporting Turkey to the Stone Age". Observer. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  33. ↑ "Iran blamed for cyberattack on Parliament that hit dozens of MPs, including Theresa May". The Telegraph. 14 October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  34. ↑ "Israel's Jerusalem Post Website Hacked". Reuters. 3 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  35. ↑ "Jerusalem Post website hacked with Iran warning on anniversary of Soleimani killing". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  36. ↑ Yonah Jeremy Bob (2022-03-14). "Cyberattack against Israeli sites follows reports of failed Mossad op against Iran". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  37. ↑ Yaniv Kubovich. "Israeli Government Sites Crash in Cyberattack". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  38. ↑ "New Entries in the CFR Cyber Operations Tracker: Q3 2022". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  39. ↑ Agencies. "Albania cuts diplomatic ties with Iran, boots out diplomats over July cyberattack". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  40. ↑ "Iranian hackers compromise US government network in cryptocurrency generating scheme, officials say". Archived from the original on 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  41. ↑ "Iranian hacker group Agrius launches Moneybird ransomware attacks on Israeli entities". www.2-spyware.com. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  42. ↑ Kleinman, Danielle (2023-03-07). "Iran Launches Cyberattack on Israeli University". FDD. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  43. ↑ "Iran suspect in cyberattack targeting Israeli shipping, financial firms - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  44. ↑ "Iran state-backed hackers are shifting to disinformation, Microsoft says".
  45. ↑ https://www.iranintl.com/202308103879
  46. ↑ Sgueglia, Sean Lyngaas, By Kristina (2023-11-28). "Federal officials investigating after pro-Iran group allegedly hacked water authority in Pennsylvania". CNN. Retrieved 2023-11-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  47. ↑ Kohli, Pankaj (2023-07-27). "Uncovering an Iranian mobile malware campaign". Sophos News. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  48. ↑ https://www.welivesecurity.com/en/eset-research/oilrig-persistent-attacks-cloud-service-powered-downloaders/
  49. ↑ "Lookout Discovers Android Spyware Tied to Iranian Police Targeting Minorities: BouldSpy". Archived from the original on 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  50. ↑ "Rinse and repeat: Iran accelerates its cyber influence operations worldwide". 2 May 2023.
  51. 1 2 "Facebook says it dismantles disinformation network tied to Iran's state media". REUTERS. 5 May 2020. Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
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