U.S. Officials Accuse Iran of Preparing for Cyber Attacks

U.S. officials said on Friday that Iranian hackers have laid the groundwork for extensive cyber attacks on the infrastructure of the U.S. and Europe, as well as private companies. They also emphasized that the U.S. has provided essential security warnings to its allies to counter such attacks. Officials, who requested anonymity, told NBC News that while Iranian hackers are ready to use their cyber weapons, there are no signs of an imminent attack. Dan Coats, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, and Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General, warned about cyber threats from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea during the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. According to Reuters, Coats highlighted that among these four countries, Russia poses the most significant and active cyber threat. The Director of National Intelligence had previously stated that Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea engage in cyber attacks on U.S. government, state, and local networks 'every day.' He also mentioned American companies and universities as other targets of these attacks. Kirstjen Nielsen, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, had previously warned of the potential for Iranian hackers to launch cyber attacks following the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran, known as the JCPOA. However, she emphasized that the U.S. is prepared to counter such attacks. Meanwhile, Alireza Miryousefi, the press counselor at Iran's UN mission, stated on Friday that Iran has no intention of engaging in a cyber war with the U.S., suggesting that it is likely the U.S. that is seeking a pretext for a cyber attack against Iran. Miryousefi clarified that Iran's cyber activities are defensive and necessary for protecting the country. The U.S. government has been monitoring the cyber activities of hackers believed to be linked to the Islamic Republic for years, and in some cases, has sanctioned or prosecuted them. For instance, in April of this year, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned an Iranian entity for hacking hundreds of American and international universities. This entity and ten Iranians are accused of hacking over 31 terabytes of academic data from 144 American universities and 176 international universities in 21 countries. Previously, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace reported that Iranian security agencies have increasingly become skilled in cyber espionage and destructive attacks, targeting opposition figures both inside and outside Iran, civil society organizations in Iran, as well as government, defense, commercial, and diplomatic entities in the U.S., Israel, Germany, and Saudi Arabia. The Obama administration also indicted seven Iranians in 2016 for disrupting the computer network of dozens of American banks and attempting to close a dam in New York.