Iran Hackers Attack ’Israeli’ Cyber Targets

Local Editor

Iranian hackers had compromised computers of "Israeli" security companies and academics with the purpose of getting hold of sensitive data, said a report released in June by "Israeli" cyber security firm ClearSky.

According to the report, the cyber-attack started in July 2014 and is still ongoing.

Furthermore, ClearSky believed that an Iranian cyber group known as the Ajax Security Team, operating with the support of the regime in Tehran, is behind the attack.

"Several characteristics of the attacks have led us to the conclusion that an Iranian threat actor is the likely culprit. We assume, though do not have direct evidence, that it is being supported by the Iranian regime, or performed by the regime itself," the report said.

The cyber-attack, the report noted, involved efforts to hack computers of various organizations and individuals not only in the Zionist entity but also in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Venezuela, the United States and other countries.

Moreover, the hackers, ClearSky said, employed numerous methods to break into the computers. They posed, for example, as journalists and sent targets an email that included a request for an interview; attached to the email was a file with a hidden virus, which would infect the victim's computer as soon as the file was downloaded.

Thereafter, the hackers were able to access emails accounts, take control of computers and get hold of information stored in them.

Other methods involved breaching trusted websites to set up fake pages, multi-stage malware, spear phishing emails, phone calls to the target and messages on social networks.

Nonetheless, ClearSky identified attacks on 40 "Israeli" targets, including employees at security companies, high-ranking "Israeli" officers, and also academics involved research on the Middle East and Iran at universities around the country.

However, ClearSky didn't name the security companies that were compromised, but noted that the attacks were successful in most instances.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team