Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 24 June 2019
AP sources: U.S. struck Iranian military computers this week

By TAMI ABDOLLAH land Security said in a
Associated Press statement released Satur-
WASHINGTON (AP) — day that its agency tasked
U.S. military cyber forces with infrastructure security
launched a strike against has been aware of a re-
Iranian military computer cent rise in malicious cyber
systems on Thursday as activities directed at U.S.
President Donald Trump government agencies by
backed away from plans Iranian regime actors and
for a more conventional proxies.
military strike in response Cybersecurity and Infra-
to Iran's downing of a U.S. structure Security Agency
surveillance drone, U.S. of- Director Christopher C.
ficials said Saturday. Krebs said the agency has
Two officials told The As- been working with the in-
sociated Press that the telligence community and
strikes were conducted cybersecurity partners to
with approval from Trump. monitor Iranian cyber ac-
A third official confirmed tivity and ensure the U.S.
the broad outlines of the and its allies are safe.
strike. All spoke on condi- "What might start as an ac-
tion of anonymity because In this Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, file photo, a flame burns at the Shell Deer Park oil refinery in Deer count compromise, where
they were not authorized Park, Texas. you think you might just lose
to speak publicly about the Associated Press data, can quickly become
operation. a situation where you've
The cyberattacks — a con- capabilities and its more began a policy of "maxi- with Iran last year and be- lost your whole network,"
tingency plan developed aggressive cyber strategy mum pressure." Iran has gan a policy of "maximum Krebs said.
over weeks amid escalat- under the Trump adminis- since been hit by multiple pressure." Iran has since The National Security
ing tensions — disabled tration. Over the last year rounds of sanctions. Ten- been hit by multiple rounds Agency would not discuss
Iranian computer systems U.S. officials have focused sions spiked this past week of sanctions. Then Iran shot Iranian cyber actions spe-
that controlled its rocket on persistently engaging after Iran shot down an un- down an unmanned U.S. cifically, but said in a state-
and missile launchers, the with adversaries in cyber- manned U.S. drone — an drone this week. ment to the AP on Friday
officials said. Two of the space and undertaking incident that nearly led to "Both sides are desperate that "there have been se-
officials said the attacks, more offensive operations. a U.S. military strike against to know what the other rious issues with malicious
which specifically targeted There was no immediate Iran on Thursday evening. side is thinking," said John Iranian cyber actions in the
Iran's Islamic Revolution- reaction Sunday morning in The cyberattacks are the Hultquist, director of intel- past."
ary Guard Corps computer Iran to the U.S. claims. Iran latest chapter in the U.S. ligence analysis at FireEye. "In these times of height-
system, were provided as has hardened and discon- and Iran's ongoing cyber "You can absolutely expect ened tensions, it is appro-
options after Iranian forces nected much of its infra- operations targeting the the regime to be leverag- priate for everyone to be
blew up two oil tankers ear- structure from the internet other. Yahoo News first re- ing every tool they have alert to signs of Iranian ag-
lier this month. after the Stuxnet computer ported the cyber strike. available to reduce the un- gression in cyberspace and
The IRGC, which was des- virus, widely believed to be In recent weeks, hackers certainty about what's go- ensure appropriate defens-
ignated a foreign terrorist a joint U.S.-Israeli creation, believed to be working for ing to happen next, about es are in place," the NSA
group by the Trump admin- disrupted thousands of Ira- the Iranian government what the U.S.'s next move said.
istration earlier this year, is a nian centrifuges in the late have targeted U.S. gov- will be." Iran has long targeted the
branch of the Iranian mili- 2000s. ernment agencies, as well CrowdStrike shared im- U.S. oil and gas sectors and
tary. Tensions have escalated as sectors of the econo- ages of the spear-phishing other critical infrastructure,
The action by U.S. Cyber between the two countries my, including finance, oil emails with the AP. but those efforts dropped
Command was a demon- ever since the U.S. withdrew and gas, sending waves One such email that was significantly after the nucle-
stration of the U.S.'s increas- last year from the 2015 of spear-phishing emails, confirmed by FireEye ap- ar agreement was signed.
ingly mature cyber military nuclear deal with Iran and according to represen- peared to come from the After Trump withdrew the
tatives of cybersecurity Executive Office of the U.S. from the deal in May
companies CrowdStrike President and seemed to 2018, cyber experts said
and FireEye, which regu- be trying to recruit people they have seen an increase
larly track such activity. This for an economic adviser in Iranian hacking efforts.
new campaign appears to position. Another email "This is not a remote war
have started shortly after was more generic and ap- (anymore)," said Sergio
the Trump administration peared to include details Caltagirone, vice presi-
imposed sanctions on the on updating Microsoft Out- dent of threat intelligence
Iranian petrochemical sec- look's global address book. at Dragos Inc. "This is one
tor this month. The Iranian actor in- where Iranians could quote
It was not known if any of volved in the cyberattack, unquote bring the war
the hackers managed to dubbed "Refined Kitten" by home to the United States."
gain access to the tar- CrowdStrike, has for years Caltagirone said as na-
geted networks with the targeted the U.S. energy tions increase their abilities
emails, which typically and defense sectors, as to engage offensively in
mimic legitimate emails but well as allies such as Sau- cyberspace, the ability of
contain malicious software. di Arabia and the United the United States to pick
Tensions have run high be- Arab Emirates, said Adam a fight internationally and
tween the two countries Meyers, vice president of have that fight stay out of
since the U.S. withdrew intelligence at CrowdStrike. the United States physically
from the 2015 nuclear deal The Department of Home- is increasingly reduced.q