US Surprise about Iranian Hackers

A former U.S. official says that there is technical evidence directly connecting Iran to cyberattacks against energy companies. In recent months, U.S. officials’ concern has increased over what the country’s security officials are interpreting as cyberattacks by Iran’s government and the Quds force. This risk has rapidly increased. Right up until May 8, the country’s senior intelligence officials were oblivious to the capabilities of Iranian hackers.

According to a report by [Iranian news and information website] Eshraf, following Iran’s cyberattacks against U.S. companies, U.S. officials are continuously concerned about the disruptions that these attacks could bring about. This is because they believe that — in contrast to the attacks by Chinese hackers, which are carried out with the intention of stealing information — the purpose of these attacks is to destroy and disable the country’s institutions.

In an article regarding the concerns of former and current U.S. administration officials about Iranian cyberattacks against U.S. energy companies, the Atlantic Council, a U.S. think tank, indicates that these measures by Iran could expose it to retaliatory attacks by the U.S. The writer, relying on what U.S. officials such as Leon Panetta have said, believes that the latest attacks against [national oil and natural gas company] Aramco in Saudi Arabia may be a sign of Iran’s serious determination to hurt U.S. firms.

Iranian Hackers Have Broadened Their Attacks against U.S. Companies

Based on accounts from former and current U.S. officials, hackers from the Islamic Republic of Iran have broadened the scope of their cyberattacks against U.S. companies. These hackers are carrying out their operation by infiltrating and investigating the network systems of companies active in the energy sector. In the most recent operations, Iranian hackers succeeded in gaining access to the security software of a system that allowed them to carry out modifications to oil and gas pipelines. One of the former U.S. officials says that “they advanced to a point at which they made people worried.”*

Iranian Hackers’ Goals Are Completely Different from Those of Chinese Hackers

These developments indicate that, while Chinese hackers are more and more looking for information and carrying out espionage, the attacks by Iranian hackers have provoked greater concerns; they are being undertaken with a clearly hostile intention and have the potential to wreak havoc. U.S. officials see this series of infiltrations by Iranian hackers as more worrying than other ongoing attacks and believe that these attacks, supported by the government in Tehran, could create instability in the provision of online banking services. U.S. officials say that, in contrast to previous attacks, these new attacks have succeeded in infiltrating computer systems with the purpose of collecting information about companies’ security measures. They also say that, with these new attacks, hackers have successfully gained the necessary tools for destroying or disturbing those systems in the future.

U.S. Officials Do Not Specifically Indicate Detailed Evidence about Iran’s Implication in These Attacks

On the other hand, U.S. officials warn that Iran is coming closer to facing retaliation from the U.S. One U.S. official says that “these measures indicate an increase in cyberattacks by the Iranian government; the more they do this, the more it will be a cause of concern for us. What they have done thus far has been taken into consideration, and they should be careful and prudent.” These former and current officials neither mentioned any of the names of the companies that have been the object of attack nor discussed how many companies had been attacked. Two former officials say: “Among them one can indicate oil and gas companies along the Canadian border, a place where many institutions are active.”

Senior U.S. Intelligence Officials Were Ignorant of Iranian Hackers’ Capabilities

These officials likewise do not specifically refer to detailed evidence of Iran’s involvement; however, one former U.S. official says, “There exists technical evidence that directly links these cyberattacks to Iran.” In recent months, U.S. officials’ concern has increased over what the country’s security officials are interpreting as cyberattacks by Iran’s government and the Quds force. This risk has rapidly increased. Right up until May 8, the country’s senior intelligence officials were oblivious to the capabilities of Iranian hackers.

White House Meeting Organized with Purpose of Examining Ways To Confront Iran’s Cyber Attacks

In light of the Obama administration’s ever-increasing concern, the White House arranged an important meeting to examine tactics for managing the risk of Iranian cyberattacks. During this meeting no important decision was made to take serious steps, but, according to the account of one U.S. official, it was determined that they will hold meetings in the coming weeks for a renewed evaluation of this subject.

These Cyberattacks Have Become a Source of Concern for the American People

In October, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned of the latent Iranian threat — and of course mentioned no country’s name in his speech, but rather only pointed out that the hackers’ attack against Aramco’s installations in Saudi Arabia are an indication of the increase in cyberwarfare. From that time up until now, the number of Iranian cyberattacks has grown. In contrast to Chinese hackers, Iranian hackers’ infiltration and attacks are undertaken with the goal of disrupting and damaging computer systems. One U.S. official says that theft and disruption have brought about different concerns. It is for this reason that they have attracted so much attention.

*Editor’s Note: The quotations in this article, while accurately translated, could not be verified.