Pierluigi Paganini June 25, 2019

After media reported a cyber offensive launched by the US against Iran, Teheran announced that alleged cyber attack against its infrastructure has ever succeeded.

Last week, media reported that the United States has launched a series of cyber attacks on Iran after the Iranian military has downed an American surveillance drone.

US President Donald Trump first approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing a surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night after a day of escalating tensions.

The tensions between Iran and the US is increasing after President Trump blamed Iran for the attacks on the oil tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has immediately denied that accusation. Trump decided to temporary suspend the attacks to attempt negotiation and urge new sanctions against Iran, but at the same time, he secretly authorized US Cyber Command to carry out a retaliatory cyber attack on Iran.

Now Teheran replied to the news reported by the media and revealed that cyber attack against its infrastructure has ever succeeded.

“The media are asking about the veracity of the alleged cyber attack against Iran. No successful attack has been carried out by them, although they are making a lot of effort,” ICT Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said on Twitter.

The Iranian telecommunications minister labeled the activity against its state as “cyber terrorism — such as Stuxnet — and unilateralism — such as sanctions”.

US media on Saturday said Washington launched cyber attacks against Iranian missile control systems and a spy network this week after Tehran downed an American surveillance drone.

“President Trump approved an offensive cyberstrike that disabled Iranian computer systems used to control rocket and missile launches, even as he backed away from a conventional military attack in response to its downing Thursday of an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone, according to people familiar with the matter.”reported The Washington Post.

“The cyberstrikes, launched Thursday night by personnel with U.S. Cyber Command, were in the works for weeks if not months, according to two of these people, who said the Pentagon proposed launching them after Iran’s alleged attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman earlier this month.”

The cyber attacks carried out by the US Cyber Command aimed at destroying computers systems that control rocket and missile launches.

According to Yahoo, two former intelligence officials confirmed that cyber attacks also hit spying group responsible for tracking ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

This isn’t the first time that the US opted out for a cyber attack to hit Iran, the Stuxnet virus first uncovered in 2010, was used to shut down nuclear facilities in Iran at least since 2005.

Since the Stuxnet attack, Iran-linked APT groups have increased their cyber capabilities and have intensified their activities against entities worldwide.

“We foiled last year not one attack but 33 million attacks with Dejpha shield,” declared Azari Jahromi referring to a cyber defence system.

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – Iran, hacking)

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