Sky News Report: Islamic Republic of Iran’s Efforts to Conduct Cyber Attacks at Various Points Worldwide
The Sky News network, based on classified documents it has obtained from Iran, says the Islamic Republic of Iran has programs to carry out cyber attacks, including against cargo ships, energy resources in the United States, and locations at various points around the world.
The Sky News report is based on an apparently educational pamphlet that informed sources provided to the news network.
The pamphlet is over 50 pages long and bears a classified mark. It begins with a quote from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stating that “the Islamic Republic of Iran must transform into a cyber power in the ranks of influential world powers.” The Sky News report has been republished in some media outlets, including the Jerusalem Post.
The report states that the pamphlet describes instructions for sinking a cargo ship through a cyber attack, and also, referring to some fuel supply companies in the United States, describes how to detonate gasoline pumps.
The pamphlet was prepared by a covert offensive cyber unit called “Shahid Kaveh,” which is reportedly part of the Revolutionary Guards’ Cyber Command. In Iranian domestic media, only a cyber group in Mashhad has been referred to by this name. “Mahmoud Kaveh” was born in Mashhad and was a commander of the Revolutionary Guards who was killed in the Karbala Two operation. It appears that his name was chosen for this cyber group.
The focus of this educational and classified pamphlet is concentrated on companies that operate in Western countries, including the United States, Britain, and France.
In spring of this year, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, in its annual report on global threats, called Iran the main challenge to American interests in the Middle East. The report stated that “over the coming year, Tehran will likely respond to potential double pressures on the United States through the use of reversible nuclear activities, deniable attacks by proxy groups and its partners, and/or cyber operations.”
Source: Voice of America
