Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Jun 30: In a new joint alert, top U.S. security agencies have warned that Iran-backed cyber actors and affiliated hacktivist groups may continue or escalate malicious cyber activities, particularly targeting American networks and infrastructure in the near future.

The joint fact sheet, released by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Security Agency (NSA), and the Department of Defense (DoD), highlights growing concerns amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and ceasefire negotiations between Iran and Israel.

“Given the current environment, Iranian-affiliated actors are likely to conduct near-term cyber operations targeting U.S. devices and networks,” the bulletin warns. It specifically highlights increased risks to the U.S. defense industrial base (DIB), especially firms with connections to Israeli defense and research entities.

The bulletin notes that Iranian-government-aligned hackers and hacktivist groups often exploit weakly secured internet-connected devices to launch disruptive operations. In recent months, these actors have engaged in website defacements and leaked sensitive data from targeted organizations. The alert predicts a likely surge in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against both U.S. and Israeli websites.

Officials emphasize that these activities are not new. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated cyber groups have a documented history of cyber intrusions, particularly during and after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in 2023. Attacks during that period were widely seen as acts of political protest.

“Common tactics include defacing websites, exfiltrating and leaking sensitive data, and launching DDoS attacks,” the fact sheet states.

Although no immediate malicious activity has been reported, agencies are urging critical infrastructure organizations across the U.S. to stay vigilant.

“We strongly encourage all organizations to review the recommendations in our joint fact sheet and take proactive steps to bolster cybersecurity defenses,” the agencies advised in a joint statement.