Iran: The cyber threat from Iran remains at a heightened level following the different events throughout the Persian Gulf over the summer. Following an early summer start of cyber-attacks and tensions between the United States and Iran, the fact the tensions have not suppressed is no surprise. Attacks on the Saudi Arabian oil fields did not help the tensions and when the United States officials began blaming Iran for the attacks, the tensions grew higher. The attack on the oil fields happened a few weeks after Iranian attackers were seen carrying out phishing attacks against United States citizens, most likely for reconnaissance on the people and the accounts they may be able to access with the stolen information. After the US continually blamed Iran for the attack on the oil fields, some were calling for military action against Iran, including President Trump who, although he did not call out Iran, stated there would be military action for whoever was behind the attack. Iran responded to these allegations stating that they were not behind the attack and if any retaliation against them occurred it would result in an “all-out war.”
Analyst Notes
The tensions in the gulf are not dying out, and in some cases, they could be rising. With the tensions being what they are, it is probable that we will see attacks coming from Iran continue and in some cases speed up as they race to gain a foothold into critical infrastructure and carry out more reconnaissance.
