Reuters: Coordinated European Action Against 'Iranian Cyber Spies'

According to a report by Reuters, European officials have initiated coordinated actions against a cyber espionage group that may be linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The report is based on investigations by a cybersecurity group. Cybersecurity experts have identified this group as 'Rocket Kitten' and have tracked its activities since early 2014. The list of those targeted by the cyber espionage includes officials from countries such as Saudi Arabia, NATO, and Israeli nuclear scientists. However, according to an American-Israeli company monitoring 'Rocket Kitten', this 'Iranian group' has also spied on officials from its ally, Venezuela. Iranian government opponents have also been among the targets. Even the wives of military commanders from unnamed countries are included in this list. The cybersecurity company 'Check Point' reported on November 9 that it has identified a total of 1,600 cases of internet espionage. The head of the research group at this American-Israeli company stated, 'In our opinion, these attacks are very similar to those previously conducted by the IRGC.' Nevertheless, other cybersecurity researchers have refrained from publicly stating a direct connection between the two. The group identified as 'Rocket Kitten' has accessed computers in Europe from Tehran to carry out its 'attacks' and 'espionage'. 'Check Point' claims to have informed European officials about the situation. It appears that 'command and control' servers located in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands have been targeted. According to Reuters, officials from these countries have sent special forces to the server maintenance centers. It has been reported that actions have been taken to halt 'Rocket Kitten's' activities for at least several months. European police and the FBI have refrained from immediate comment on the 'Check Point' report as reflected by Reuters. An Israeli internal security official has only stated that they are aware of the activities of the cyber espionage group. Reuters contacted a spokesperson for the IRGC in Tehran, who also declined to comment on the published report. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to this issue. A few days before the release of the Reuters report, the American newspaper Wall Street Journal reported that the email and personal page of 'several officials in the U.S. State Department' had recently been hacked by the IRGC's cyber forces. Iran itself has previously been the target of cyber attacks, some of the most significant of which, such as the 'Stuxnet' virus, have reportedly been developed and spread in Israel and the U.S. On the other hand, the FBI has also warned about 'complex attacks' from Iranian hackers. In this context, Iranian cyber attacks against the U.S. have 'become more complex', and Iranian state hackers have 'become more skilled'.