Latest news with #cyberwarfare
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Cyberwarfare expert warns how Iranian hackers could attack America
As the conflict in Iran reaches a critical tipping point for the US, a cyberwarfare expert has warned that an attack by Iranian hackers is not just possible, it's likely. James Knight, who has over 25 years of experience in digital security, told the Daily Mail that Americans should be prepared for bank disruptions and potential blackouts if the US officially enters the fighting between Israel and Iran. Moreover, Knight warned that hackers have already planted malware in US systems that could be activated in a desperate final act of revenge by the Iranian government in the coming days. 'Even if the US does not get involved, we could expect some lone wolves who are going to want to implement some sort of revenge,' Knight cautioned. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a statement read by a television presenter that his country will not accept President Donald Trump 's call for an unconditional surrender. After refusing demands to give up their nuclear program, Iran has warned that the US joining the conflict would mean 'all-out war.' In the digital realm, Knight revealed that this could mean multiple teams of Iranian hackers targeting key US lifelines, including banks, power grids, oil pipelines and even hospitals. 'I wouldn't be surprised if they try and start attacking us. Crypto exchanges, US banking infrastructure - that wouldn't surprise me,' the Knight said. Knight, a security expert for works with companies and government agencies to test their cyber defenses. Organizations hire 'pen testers' like Knight to break through their security on purpose to see where they are vulnerable. The digital guru revealed that he has already been contacted by organizations regarding the potential of an Iranian cyberattack against American businesses. Knight explained that the likeliest target of a cyberattack will come against major power plants and energy production facilities, aimed at causing chaos throughout the US rather than inflicting lasting harm. 'It would be the revenge, tit for tat, sort of attacks,' he said. 'Taking things down, causing blackouts.' However, Knight explained that each Iranian cyber unit specializes in a different type of target, and some are more focused on targeting everyday Americans by stealing their private information, passwords and breaking into large networks like hospitals. 'There's no security in these hospitals and healthcare systems. So yeah, that's a very soft target,' Knight warned. He added that hackers could break into a hospital receptionist's computer and gain access to critical medical devices in ICUs, shutting down life-saving equipment across the US. Meanwhile, some hackers are expected to target American financial centers, including major banks, payment processing companies, and digital currency platforms. 'It's really about revenge and disruption. They know that it's not going to have a long-term impact,' Knight noted. 'They're not going to take down the US. They're not going to take down individuals. They're just looking to create pain,' he continued. As for what the public can do to protect themselves from these more direct attacks, Knight echoed the same critical measures you should take to defend against any hacker. 'Be vigilant. That's the most important thing, really. Be careful of the emails you're receiving,' he said. 'Make sure you're setting strong passwords, that you're not reusing [them].' Additionally, Knight said everyone should be regularly updating their computers and mobile devices with the latest security updates they receive. Americans can also immediately switch to multi-factor authentication, which adds another layer of security, by sending a secret code to a person's phone or email when they log into certain sites. Knight also recommended using passkeys to log into your devices, a new type of security method that takes verifying your identity to the next level. Passkeys are a passwordless, phishing-resistant technology using cryptographic keys stored on a user's devices and are authenticated using biometrics, like a fingerprint, face scan or a PIN. While it's impossible to know whether an Iranian hacker is targeting your computer or emails, Knight said that the country won't stay quiet about breaching US defenses for long. 'They're going to take credit for it immediately, they're not afraid to give a lot of love. They always like to boast how they're going to do something, even if it never happens,' Knight claims. Although Knight said that the Iranian cyber units are 'highly skilled' and have been carrying out these kinds of attacks for years, he believes the US government's cybersecurity teams are well prepared to counter the potential threat. He added Iran is already under attack by Israeli cyber units, who he called the best in the world at the art of digital warfare. However, he said that Iran does have an ace up their sleeve: their hackers have already installed harmful malware inside American computer networks in preparation for this looming war. 'Hackers can be in systems for literally years. That's what every hacking group is going to try to do. They get in, they get persistent access, they harden systems, embed themselves undetected, and they'll sit there literally for years and years, and maybe it never gets used,' Knight explained. He added that these malicious programs are only going to be activated when Iran thinks 'it's absolutely necessary' or when the country has nothing left to lose in a fight with the US. 'That hacking group will burn the system, and as soon as it's used, it can't be used again,' Knight explained. Despite the desperate and short-term nature of these attacks, Knight cautioned that Americans still need to be ready if Iran attacks through the internet.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Sneak attack Iran could use on AMERICA: urgent warning as war threatens to spiral out of control
As the conflict in Iran reaches a critical tipping point for the US, a cyberwarfare expert has warned that an attack by Iranian hackers is not just possible, it's likely. James Knight, who has over 25 years of experience in digital security, told the Daily Mail that Americans should be prepared for bank disruptions and potential blackouts if the US officially enters the fighting between Israel and Iran.
Al Bawaba
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Iran state TV hacked mid-broadcast as Tehran fires heaviest missile
ALBAWABA- Iran has fired its most powerful missile yet at Israel amid growing cyber and information warfare, marking a sharp intensification in the ongoing regional conflict. Also Read Explosions rock Jerusalem as Iran fires new missile barrage According to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, a long-range Sejjil-2 missile, a two-stage, solid-fuel weapon, was launched in the 12th wave of attacks against Israeli targets, aimed explicitly at the Gush Dan region. Israeli sources confirmed the missile carried a significantly larger explosive payload than previous launches. The strike comes as Iran's state broadcasting network was reportedly hacked, with satellite viewers witnessing an interruption during live news coverage. All channels broadcast anti-regime messages and videos calling for freedom and a revolution against the ruling government inside Iran. Witnesses said a message called the Iranian public to "take to the streets." Officials confirmed that the interference occurred only via satellite receivers and blamed foreign cyber and satellite interference. The satellite signal for Iran's state-run television channel has reportedly been hacked, with all channels now playing anti-regime messaging and videos which call for freedom and revolution against the regime inside Iran. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 18, 2025 The Revolutionary Guard warned Israelis in response: 'You must choose between a slow death in shelters or fleeing Israel.' Iran's Cybersecurity Command also reported a large-scale cyberattack on its banking networks, allegedly launched by Israel. While several attacks were repelled, officials described the offensive as one of the most extensive to date. In an official statement, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard declared: 'We have opened the gates of hell. Our fast missiles leave Zionists hiding in shelters for days without seeing the sun. Air defenses have been destroyed, and the skies over the occupied territories are open to our drones and rockets.'
The Verge
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Verge
Iran is going offline to prevent purported Israeli cyberattacks
In a purported attempt to limit Israel's ability to wage cyberwarfare, Iran has begun throttling its civilians' access to the internet and plans to disconnect entirely from the global internet by Tuesday night. Fateme Mohajerani, a government spokesperson, said during a recent television broadcast that the speed reduction was 'temporary, targeted, and controlled, aimed at countering cyberattacks,' according to machine translation. The announcements come amidst the escalating war between Iran and Israel, which broke out after Israel attacked the country on June 12th, and a rise in reported internet outages. Civilians have claimed that they've been unable to access basic but critical telecommunications services, such as messaging apps, maps, and sometimes the internet itself. Cloudflare reported that two major Iranian cellular carriers effectively went offline on Tuesday, and The New York Times reports that even VPNs, which Iranians frequently use to access banned sites like Facebook and Instagram, have become increasingly harder to access. Furthermore, the Iranian government is urging citizens to delete WhatsApp – one of the country's most popular messaging platforms – claiming without any evidence that the Meta-owned app has been weaponized by Israel to spy on its users. (WhatsApp vehemently denied those claims in a statement to the Associated Press.) Other reports indicate that Telegram, another messaging app popular in Iran, has been blocked as well. Israel's role in the cyber outages has not been officially confirmed, but independent analysts at NetBlocks noticed a significant reduction of internet traffic originating from Iran on Tuesday, starting at 5:30 PM local time. According to Tasnim, a news network affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Iranians will still have access to the country's state-operated national internet service, though two Iranian officials told the Times that the internal bandwidth could be reduced by up to 80 percent. Israel has experienced a 700 percent increase in cyberattacks since June 12th, according to the cybersecurity firm Radware, which attributes this to Iran's own sophisticated state-sponsored hacking operations. National security experts also warn that American companies may experience 'spillover' from continued cyberwarfare, and that if the United States intervenes in the military conflict, Iranian hackers could begin attacking critical US infrastructure in retaliation.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New UK weapons factories to be built 'very soon', defence secretary reveals
New weapons factories will be built "very soon" to show Vladimir Putin the UK is "stepping up our deterrents", the defence secretary has told Sky News. Last night, the government announced as part of a £6bn push to rearm at a time of growing threats. Politics latest: Healey questioned by Trevor Phillips No details on timings or where the factories would be were provided ahead of the strategic defence review, which the £6bn investment will be part of, being published on Monday. But Defence Secretary John Healey told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: "We should expect to see new factories opening very soon. "And we've already got strong munitions factories in every part of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. "The investment we're making will boost the jobs in those areas as well." Asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin should be "frightened now" or in the future, Mr Healey said: "The message to Putin is we take our defence seriously, we're stepping up our deterrents." Mr Healey also said he has "no doubt" of GDP in the next parliament. He defended not trying to get to that in this parliament - by 2029 - and said: "It's how much [is spent on defence], but also how you spend it." The defence secretary said his government is showing a sense of urgency by investing £1bn into cyber warfare capabilities, £1.5bn to improve forces' housing over the next five years and a £6bn commitment to "rearm" over the next five years. Read more:Prison officers should have lethal weapons, Tories sayStarmer says govt will 'look at' scrapping two child limit Senior Conservative Robert Jenrick told Trevor Phillips he welcomed "any extra investment in defence" and the fact Labour had reaffirmed the UK's commitment to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence. However, he said: "We want to see the UK reach 3% within this parliament, we think that 2034 is a long time to wait, given the gravity of the situation." He called Mr Healey "a good man" who is "doing what needs to be done in the national interest". But he added: "I am sceptical as to whether Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is going to make good on these promises. "Since the general election, all I can see are broken promises from Rachel Reeves."
