Senior Iranian officials dealing with communications and information have announced that a cyberattack was launched against Iran, indirectly blaming Israel.
The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi tweeted, “A regime with a history of using cyber weapons, such as the Stuxnet, this time has tried to harm the infrastructure of communications but with the vigilance of [our] technical teams, they ended up empty handed”.
Stuxnet is a sophisticated computer worm that was first uncovered in 2010. It was deployed against Iran’s nuclear centrifuges; ultimately degrading hundreds of the enrichment machines. It was generally believed to have been launched by Israel with possible assistance by U.S. intelligence agencies.
The Iranian minister added in his tweet that his country will pursue the case of the latest alleged attack “in international forums”.
Another senior official, the chairman of Communication Infrastructure Company, Hamid Fatahi also tweeted that an attack has taken place, indirectly blaming Israel, adding that it was “forcefully repulsed”.
The Iranian officials have not provided any further information about the alleged cyberattack. Israel has also not reacted to the accusations.
Last week, Israeli media reported that Iranian networks had been targeted by a virus similar to but more potent than Stuxnet, without naming the source of the attack.
The United States and other countries have also warned about Iranian cyber intrusions and attempted disruptions.