The Department of Homeland Security is warning of an increased likelihood of cyberattacks by Iran-linked hacking groups. The warning comes after the U.S. launched coordinated airstrikes on Saturday, June 21, against three Iranian nuclear facilities.
As outlined in a National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin, DHS said both pro-Iranian hacktivists as well as advanced groups tied to the Iranian government pose a growing threat to U.S. networks. Both “routinely target poorly secured US networks and Internet-connected devices for disruptive cyber attacks,” the bulletin said.
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‘Everything’s on the table’
Pro-Iran hacktivist groups are most commonly known for website defacements, data leaks, and distributed denial-of-service attacks, a tactic that knocks websites offline by flooding them with excessive traffic. Government-backed entities are more capable and have previously targeted U.S. critical infrastructure.
Since the air strikes, chatter among pro-Iran hacktivists on platforms such as Telegram show an increased focus on the United States. Iran-linked groups had primarily targeted Israel amid its ongoing war in Gaza, and no significant attacks against the United States have been reported so far.
Theresa Payton, the former White House chief information officer, told Fox News that Iran could target entities such as media outlets as well as U.S. citizens and elected officials.
“I think everything’s on the table right now as it relates to Iran, especially if they are running out of weaponry and missiles,” Payton said. “They could resort to cyber incidents and cyberattacks.”
John Hultquist, chief analyst at Google’s Threat Intelligence Group, agreed that the threat from Iran has increased. But he argued that overhyping the danger could benefit Tehran.
“Iran has had mixed results with disruptive cyberattacks and they frequently fabricate and exaggerate their effects in an effort to boost their psychological impact,” Hultquist told SecurityWeek. “We should be careful not to overestimate these incidents and inadvertently assist the actors.”
“The impacts may still be very serious for individual enterprises,” Hultquist added, “which can prepare by taking many of the same steps they would to prevent ransomware.”
Physical attacks possible
The DHS bulletin stated that, in addition to cyberattacks, Americans should be vigilant for the possibility of physical attacks.
DHS warned of actions by violent extremists in the United States, especially if Iranian leaders issue a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence.
“The conflict could also 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,” DHS added.
