US Launches Retaliatory Cyber Attack Against Iran

The United States Cyber Command launched a retaliatory cyber-attack against an Iranian intelligence group on Thursday, who are allegedly responsible for bombing oil tankers on May 12 off the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Gulf of Oman.

A report published by Yahoo News stated that an undisclosed intelligence group tied to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly “hacked” into US marine traffic tracking websites. They managed to gather information about civilian vessels and digitally tracked military ones operating in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The intelligence group created fake social media accounts using images of almost-naked women to attract naval officers to gather information on the ships,” said James Lewis, a cyber-expert at the Washington, DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Oblivious to Iranian honey traps, US sailors eagerly disclosed ship location and destination,” former intelligence officials said.

The officials asserted that the Iranian cyber warriors incorporate sophisticated and time-consuming methods to hack into the websites. It is, however, unclear as to why Tehran hacked websites that are easily accessible by the public.

This has come against the backdrop of an escalating crisis between the United States and Iran, triggered by US President Trump's decision on May 8 last year, to withdraw from a multilateral deal on Tehran's nuclear programme.

Tehran shot down a US military “spy” drone earlier this week, which Iran claims had invaded Iran airspace, to send a “clear message” to Washington that the country is capable of defending its borders.

Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division, said Iran refrained from downing a P-8 jet accompanying the US drone, carrying 35 people onboard.

Meanwhile , Trump tweeted yesterday, “They shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it.”