Cyberattack on Iran Shapes a New Path for War
On Saturday October 12, 2024, a cyberattack on Iran targeted key governmental agencies and critical infrastructure, including nuclear facilities, causing widespread operational disruptions.
This comes shortly after Israel vowed to retaliate against Iran over a recent missile attack on Israeli targets, increasing fears of full-fledged conflict in the Middle East.
Cyberattack on Iran Disrupts Governmental Infrastructure
Abolhassan Firouzabadi, former secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council for Cyberspace, has declared that the attacked systems have lost sensitive information.
“Every day, some 50 million attacks against our systems are deflected. Nearly all three branches of Iran’s government-the judiciary, legislature and executive branch have been hit by heavy cyberattacks and their information was stolen,” said Firouzabadi.
There have also been reports of cyberattacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, while such sectors as fuel distribution, municipal networks, transport, and ports have also been under attack.
In response, and preparation, to recent threats by Israel, the Iranian government took additional measures to protect sensitive systems and infrastructure. The Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) has banned certain electronic communication devices, such as pagers and walkie-talkies, from airplanes in both cabins and checked baggage – following horrific Israeli attack in Lebanon on September 17th and 18th.
The move aims at lowering the potential risks from devices that could be exploited in further cyberattacks, although clearly the attack that took place in Lebanon was not a cyber-attack.
Iran Applies Precautions as Cyber Threats Strive
The recent cyberattack on Iran exposed the already increasing vulnerability of the country’s infrastructure to digital threats as tensions escalate between Iran and Israel, after Israel bombed the Iranian Consulate in Syria on April 1st, 2024, in addition to the relentless Israeli bombing on Palestinians in Occupied Palestine, and Lebanon.
Iran’s nuclear facilities have long been a concern for both the US and Israel, as they simply represent a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure. The simple fact that these sensitive areas are targeted goes to show that cyberattacks on Iran could be playing a much bigger role in the future to further mushroom destabilization in the Middle East.
The conflict between Iran and Israel, alongside the war on Lebanon and Palestine, puts Iran in a difficult position as it tries to save its digital infrastructure against further Iran cyberattacks. With increasing reliance on technology for running state machinery and essential services, it is vulnerable to enemies whose methods include the cyberattack hits Iran as one of their tools for weakening the enemy.
Cyberattacks in Times of War on Palestine, Lebanon
The cyberattack in Iran threat arrives as Israel intensifies its defense preparations with the US announcing it would send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to Israel, which experts perceive as a possible military response to growing tensions. As demonstrated by the latest attack, cyber warfare is fast becoming a critical battlefield working hand in hand with the military operations that people are familiar with.
The war on Palestine and Lebanon and been deeply affected by various cyberattacks especially Lebanon. This will not only shape but will change the equation completely. Cyberattacks and the Iran cyberattack create room for more targeted assassinations and being able to spy on various leaders. The equation used to be 50% technology and 50% on ground spies, but as tech is advancing the whole equation has changed. This will create higher damage for the Middle East especially Lebanon and Palestine.
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