Pro-Iran Hackers: The website of the US Federal Depository Library Program was defaced with a pro-Iran, anti-United States image on Saturday. This is the first “cyber-attack” against a US government website by pro-Iranian hackers following the US strike that killed Qassem Soleimani. The threat actor warned that the defacement was only a small part of their ability and alluded that there may be more attacks to come. It has yet to be confirmed by officials if the group that defaced the website is a part of the Iranian government or a lone wolf group that is pro-Iran.
Analyst Notes
This attack is no surprise—defacements of government websites were expected. It is possible that this group is not backed by the Iranian government, but instead is a group that supports Iran. It should be expected that threat actors will continue to attempt more attacks on government websites to keep spreading the pro-Iranian messages, but this does not mean other industries should not keep their guard up and continue to take preventive measures. Businesses should ensure that backups of important information are up-to-date and protected so that if a website is impacted, it can be quickly restored after the root cause of the attack has been determined and fixed. More information on the attack can be read about here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/06/american-government-website-defaced-iran-hackers-bloodied-trump/
