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Iran rejects allegations of organized cyber attacks on other states

2 Jun 2018 - 17:10


FNA- Iran's Communications and Information Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi dismissed allegations that the country launches cyber attacks against other states with the help of an organized cyber army, and condemned any move that disrupts people's everyday life in any part of the world.

"We are every day witnessing cyber attacks by certain countries against our infrastructures, but about allegations that the Islamic Republic of Iran has planned to use these instruments for cyber attacks, I should say that we do not have any specified framework under the name of cyber force but they (the western states) have cyber army in their armies or systems," Azari Jahromi told FNA on Saturday.

He described Iran as a victim of cyber attacks against the governmental infrastructures, and said the western states have officially accepted that they have used the Stuxnet malware to disrupt Iran's nuclear program.

Azari Jahromi said that there are some hackers in Iran similar to other countries, but meantime, condemned any cyber attack against other countries' infrastructures, reminding that such moves leave negative impacts on people's welfare and everyday life.

Wide-scale cyber attacks on Iranian facilities started in 2010 after the US and Israel tried to disrupt the operation of Iran's nuclear facilities through a worm which later came to be known as Stuxnet.

US intelligence officials revealed in April 2012 that the Stuxnet malware was not only designed to disrupt Iran's nuclear program, but was part of a wider campaign directed from Israel that included the assassination of the country's nuclear scientists.

Stuxnet is the first discovered worm that spies on and reprograms industrial systems. It is specifically written to attack SCADA systems which are used to control and monitor industrial processes.

In September 2012, the Islamic Republic said that the computer worm of Stuxnet infected 30,000 IP addresses in Iran, but it denied the reports that the cyber worm had damaged computer systems at the country's nuclear power plants.

Iranian top security officials have urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to detect the agents involved in Stuxnet computer worm attack on Iran.

In April 2012, Iran announced that it has discovered the Stars virus that is being used as a tool to commit espionage.

That was the second cyber attack waged by enemies of Iran to undermine the country's nuclear as well as economic and industrial activities.

Security software manufacturer Symantec said parts of the Duqu code base are nearly identical to the infamous Stuxnet worm, "but with a completely different purpose."

Iran announced in November, 2011 that it had developed a software program that can control the Duqu spyware.

After wide-scale cyber attacks on Iranian facilities, including its nuclear sites, Iranian officials started planning a proper and well-concerted line of defense against virus attacks.

In March 2012, the Islamic Republic of Iran announced plans to strengthen its cyber power by establishing a Supreme Council of Cyberspace to defend the country against cyber attacks.


Story Code: 307501

News Link :
https://www.theiranproject.com/en/news/307501/iran-rejects-allegations-of-organized-cyber-attacks-on-other-states

The Iran Project
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