Sky News reports on the Islamic Republic of Iran's efforts to launch cyber attacks in various parts of the world
Citing confidential documents obtained from Iran, Sky News says the Islamic Republic of Iran has plans to carry out cyber attacks, including against cargo ships, energy resources in the United States, and locations around the world.
The Sky News report cites an apparently educational pamphlet that informed sources provided to the news network.
The pamphlet is over 50 pages long and is marked confidential, and begins with a sentence from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran must become a cyber power on a par with influential global powers." The Sky News report has been republished in some media outlets, including the Jerusalem Post.
The report says that the pamphlet describes how to sink a cargo ship through a cyberattack and also describes how to explode gas pumps, referring to some fuel companies in the United States.
The pamphlet was prepared by a secretive cyber-attack unit called “Shahid Kaveh,” which is said to be part of the Revolutionary Guards’ cyber command. Only one cyber group in Mashhad has been mentioned by this name in Iranian media. “Mahmoud Kaveh,” born in Mashhad, was a commander in the Revolutionary Guards who was killed in Operation Karbala II. It seems that his name was chosen for this cyber group.
The focus of this educational and confidential booklet is on companies operating in Western countries, including the United States, Britain, and France.
In May of this year, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency named Iran as the primary challenge to U.S. interests in the Middle East in its annual Global Threat Report. The report stated that “over the coming year, Tehran is likely to respond to potential increased U.S. pressure with reversible nuclear activities, deniable attacks by proxies and partners, or cyber operations.”
Source: Voice of America
