A breaking news published Sunday in U.S. Homeland Security said it hopes Iranian government-backed hackers will launch an attack on the US network amid the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran.
The National Terrorism Advisory System Breaking News said low-level cyberattacks by hacktivists were “highly likely,” saying that hattivists and government-related hackers “were targeting them on a daily basis,” adding that they “were targeting” internet-connected devices to cause destruction.
The breaking news comes days after Israeli Airlines targeted a series of US and Iran's nuclear programs. This appeared to coincide with the destructive hacking carried out by a pro-Israel hacking group called the predatory Sparrow. Hackers have taken one of Iran's top banks and destroyed millions with cryptocurrencies held by the country's largest crypto exchange.
Following the first round of Israeli air attacks, the Iranian government confirmed that it had shut down the country's internet to protect against cyberattacks.
Iran is known for its offensive cyber capabilities, including long-term espionage targeting senior US politicians and government officials, and destructive cyber attacks designed to steal data from businesses and tech giants, often using known vulnerabilities and stolen passwords.