US Braced for Cyber Retaliation from Iran

The US government has echoed concerns from the cybersecurity industry that Iranian state hackers could respond to the assassination of a top Tehran general with attacks on US critical infrastructure (CNI).

Widely considered the second most powerful man in Iran, Qassem Suleimani was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad on Friday.

Military and political leaders in the country have warned of retribution, while signs posted along the vast funeral procession today are reported to have read: “Harsh revenge is awaiting.”

The Department for Homeland Security (DHS) has duly issued an alert warning of a terror threat on home soil, although it admitted “at this time we have no information indicating a specific, credible threat to the homeland.”

However, an attack could come with little or no warning, with cyber a likely vector, it said.

“Previous homeland-based plots have included, among other things, scouting and planning against infrastructure targets and cyber-enabled attacks against a range of US- based targets,” the notice continued.

“Iran maintains a robust cyber program and can execute cyber-attacks against the United States. Iran is capable, at a minimum, of carrying out attacks with temporary disruptive effects against critical infrastructure in the United States.”

On Saturday, the website of the government-run American Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was defaced with an image of a bloodied Donald Trump. Industry experts believe things could escalate even further.

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