SecureWorld News

New Warning About Iranian 'Wiper Attacks'

Written by SecureWorld News Team | Mon | Jun 24, 2019 | 6:13 PM Z

Iran shot down a $131 million U.S. surveillance drone last week.

Then President Trump (according to The Washington Post) authorized U.S. Cyber Command to retaliate against Iran. The Pentagon launched a cyber attack against Iranian computer systems used to control rocket and missile launches.

Now, get ready for incoming Iranian cyber attacks in response—the kind that could do serious damage to your organization.

New warning about Iran cyber attacks

This morning, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Christopher C. Krebs issued this special statement:

"CISA is aware of a recent rise in malicious cyber activity directed at United States industries and government agencies by Iranian regime actors and proxies."

So Iranian cyber attacks are on the rise. And they may end up being worse than you originally think they are: 

"Iranian regime actors and proxies are increasingly using destructive 'wiper' attacks, looking to do much more than just steal data and money.

These efforts are often enabled through common tactics like spear phishing, password spraying, and credential stuffing. What might start as an account compromise, where you think you might just lose data, can quickly become a situation where you’ve lost your whole network."

[RELATED: Malware Rises When Political Tensions Do]

DHS wants you to report Iranian cyber attacks

The U.S. is also asking for your help in crowd-sourcing cybersecurity. This is one of the shifts the Department of Homeland Security made last year in "5 Changes in Cybersecurity and a Warning to Digital Foes."

If you suspect an Iranian-linked cyber attack, DHS asks you to report it here: NCCICcustomerservice@hq.dhs.gov.