Iran cyberattack threat is growing

Iran’s expansionist policies have attracted significant attention from media outlets, politicians and scholars. However, Iran’s cyberwarfare program and its direct and indirect implications on global security and other national interests have received less media and scholarly attention.

The cyberwarfare program, initiated in 2012, is run by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, which was formed by an order from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. The council, which devises and forms policies regarding cyber activities, has become an indispensable pillar of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s foreign policies.

The latest developments reveal that the Islamic Republic’s cyber capacity has considerably advanced since the council’s establishment.

Last week, two people based in Iran were accused of being behind a series of cyberattacks in the US, which included crippling the city of Atlanta’s government by targeting its hospitals, schools, state agencies and other institutions. Data from these major institutions was held hostage in exchange for ransom payments.

Recently, the Justice Department also indicted seven Iranian citizens for distributed denial of service attacks against 46 companies mainly in the banking and financial sector. And US intelligence has pointed out that the Islamic Republic was behind the “Shamoon” virus, which targeted the computers of Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil corporation.

Iranian leaders are cognizant of the fact that carrying out cyberattacks is less costly than getting engaged in direct military confrontations with its rivals. As Abdollah Araqi, IRGC deputy commander of ground forces, pointed out, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency: “We have armed ourselves with new tools because a cyber war is more dangerous than a physical war.”

As a result, from the perspective of the Iranian leaders, the alternative to a physical war is a virtual one that either provides the benefit of anonymity or makes it extremely difficult to hold them accountable. As US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats indicated last year: “Tehran continues to leverage cyberespionage, propaganda and attacks to support its security priorities, influence events and foreign perceptions, and counter threats — including against US allies in the region. Iran has also used its cyber capabilities directly against the US.”

It is also important to point out that Iran will more than likely attempt to export its cyberwarfare capabilities to its proxies, militia groups and allies. This could have severe repercussions on other nations’ national security interests and financial infrastructures.

The Islamic Republic’s cyberwarfare capabilities are advancing at a pace that needs to be addressed by regional and global powers. It is incumbent on the international community to act swiftly and hold the

Iranian regime accountable for its cyberattacks against other governments and their citizens.