Iran-backed hackers aim for economic disruption

Iran-backed hackers say they are expanding cyberattacks to global targets outside of critical infrastructure, aiming to wreak economic havoc in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli military strikes over the weekend.

Cyber activity aligned with Iran is largely contained to regional targets, such as Jordan, so far, said Kathryn Raines, team lead at threat-intelligence company Flashpoint’s national security solutions unit. However, the threat of escalation to Western targets can’t be discounted, cybersecurity and national security experts said.

Iran-backed actors have historically concentrated on sectors such as energy, oil and gas, and water, said Frank Cilluffo, director of Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. But in moments of geopolitical tension, they often expand the target set, Cilluffo said: “In this climate, organizations across critical infrastructure sectors should assume they could become targets of convenience.”

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