Recent reports suggest the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned energy and defense companies operating in the country of a possible attack by Iranian hackers.
According to Reuters, the Bureau is calling out American firms to be on alert based on information gathered from its own online activities.
The confidential “Flash” report, as spotted by Reuters go into technical details regarding the style of hacking attempts that these organizations may be subject to, in addition to how they can be stopped in their tracks. The FBI has urged companies to contact them if they if they believe they’ve been the subject of a security exploit.
The FBI exposed Iranian hacking operation is similar to the operation flagged last week by cyber security firm Cylance which said that those involved were targeting critical infrastructure organizations located worldwide.
Cylance reported that it has uncovered more than 50 victims till now from what it dubbed Operation Cleaver, in 16 countries, including the United States.
In reference to the FBI’s recent warning to US businesses, Cylance CEO Stuart McClure said the warning suggests that the hacking operation by Iranian hackers is probably much bigger than what Cylance’s own research has revealed.
“It underscores Iran’s determination and fixation on large-scale compromise of critical infrastructure,” McClure said.
The FBI although did not directly attribute the attacks to the Tehran government, but the leaked technical document revealed the hackers typically launch their attacks from two IP addresses that can be traced in Iran.
Cylance said it believes the Iranian government is involved in the hacking campaign but Tehran has vehemently denied the accusation.
An FBI official said the agency routinely provides private industry with advisories to help it stay safe from cyber threats. He denied providing any further details on the report.
The Pentagon and National Security Agency refused to comment on the matter.
