Iranian Hackers Said to Escalate Attacks on US Critical Infrastructure
Iranian hackers are stepping up attacks on critical sectors of U.S. infrastructure as tensions rise due to hostilities in the Middle East, according to an advisory released Tuesday by a group of intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
The hacking campaign targets operational technology devices exposed on the Internet, including programmable logic controllers used to control critical sectors such as water, energy and local municipalities, the advisory said. The campaign appears to have already hit some critical areas, according to a statement released by the FBI.
“These attacks led to reduced PLC functionality, manipulation of display data, and in some cases operational disruptions and financial losses,” the FBI said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The warning about intensifying hacking campaigns comes as President Donald Trump threatened that an “entire civilization will die tonight” if Iran does not meet its latest deadline to reach a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The advisory does not identify the companies targeted or describe the severity of the attacks, but it does say that hackers were found interacting with project files and modifying display data. The advisory recommends disconnecting vulnerable controllers from the Internet.
In March, Iran-linked hackers claimed to have accessed FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal Gmail account and posted photos and his resume online. A group called Handala Hack Team, which federal investigators say is associated with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, posted photos of Patel smoking a cigar while posing next to a vintage convertible and holding a large bottle of Havana Club rum.
Last week, Iran threatened to strike facilities in the Middle East owned by U.S. technology companies as part of the escalation of the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes in late February. The US government has said it will defend threatened companies.
The advisory was jointly authored by the FBI, the National Security Agency, the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and US Cyber Command.
