Security News > 2020 > January > US Conflict With Iran Sparks Cybersecurity Concerns

While the notice did not mention any specific threat against the U.S., it did note that "Iran maintains a robust cyber program and can execute cyber attacks against the United States. Iran is capable, at a minimum, of carrying out attacks with temporary disruptive effects against critical infrastructure in the United States."

Tom Kellermann, the head of cybersecurity strategy at VMware, who served as a cybersecurity adviser to the Obama administration, says that a retaliatory cyber strike by Iran is almost assured.

Sam Curry, CSO at security firm Cybereason, tells ISMG: "If you have connected systems that are responsible for kinetic world effects, like and critical infrastructure around water, energy or vital services, it's time to pay attention. Iran and the U.S. are engaged in cyber brinksmanship, which means that the gloves are off as Iran picks its targets."

While Iran's cyber capabilities are not in the same league as Russia, North Korea or China, Israeli Defense Forces Brigadier Gen. Ran Shahor tells ISMG that Iran and the hacking groups that work with it have shown in the past several years that they're willing to use cyber weapons against both private-sector and public-sector targets.

"We have been engaged in an ongoing cyber conflict with Iran for decades, as have many of our allies in the Middle East - in particular, Israel and Saudi Arabia," says Chris Morales, head of security analytics at the security firm Vectra.

News URL

https://www.inforisktoday.com/us-conflict-iran-sparks-cybersecurity-concerns-a-13576