Cyberattacks by Iranian hackers may be incoming, Homeland Security says

The United States Department of Homeland Security is telling American businesses and institutions to be vigilant for cyberattacks by state-sponsored Iranian hackers.

“Low-level cyberattacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks,” Homeland Security writes in a recent National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin.

This “hacktivism” is fueled by President Trump’s order to strike Iran’s nuclear sites, which happened over a week ago. The President ordered airstrikes on three nuclear targets to destroy Iran’s program to produce atomic weapons.

On top of that, Iran has been a long-time archenemy of the United States, targeting American military personnel and bases in the Middle East. Since the start of the Israel-Iran conflict, foreign terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah have called for violence against US assets in the region.

“The conflict could motivate violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators seeking to attack targets perceived to be Jewish, pro-Israel, or linked to the US government or military in the Homeland,” the Department says.

Iran has been known for its offensive cyber tactics against the United States, including espionage campaigns and disruptive cyberattacks. However, after the American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, not much has happened on that front.

“The volume of attacks appears to be relatively low. The techniques used are not particularly sophisticated,” Nicole Fishbein, a Senior Security Researcher with the Israeli company Intezer, said earlier this month.

Rafe Pilling, Lead Threat Intelligence Researcher at British cybersecurity company Sophos, said the Iranian hacktivists have had little to no impact so far.

“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 stated.