Top cybersecurity firms say Iranian hackers have revved up attempts to breach computer systems in the U.S.
All three companies said the attacks were aimed at both government and private sector targets, and Read said his firm had seen attacks on targets in the Middle East as well. Meyers noted that Refined Kitten often has targeted the energy sector, particularly in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia specifically.White House Council of Economic Advisers, seeking applications for a job opening.
Cyber experts already were worried about possible retaliatory targeting of the energy sector after The New York Timesabout U.S. Cyber Command escalating attacks on Russia's electricity grid. The possibility of an Iranian hacking group known for attacking the energy sector could increase that risk. "The Department of Energy is aware of the reports of APT33 activity and for security reasons we do not comment on current cyber activity directed at the Department's networks," a senior DOE official told POLITICO. "The Department has numerous systems deployed that protect the Department from adversaries attempting to compromise our networks and constantly shares threat intelligence information across our labs and sites.
U.S. officials rank Iran as one of the country's four top cyber adversaries alongside Russia, China and North Korea. In 2016, the Justice Department indicted seven Iranians for a series of cyberattacks against the U.S. financial sector and a dam in New York. Last year, it charges against an Iranian hacking ring that prosecutors accused of stealing documents from more than 100 American universities and federal agencies.
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