Federal officials and private-sector security leaders said Tuesday that they are closely monitoring for cyberattacks related to the Iran conflict but thus far have not observed any significant activity.
The Department of Homeland Security warned Sunday that Iran-linked actors or hacktivist groups may launch attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure operators, citing a recent history of attacks against poorly configured water utilities and other systems.
An apparent truce announced late Monday by President Donald Trump appeared to lower international tensions, but officials remain on guard for any potential threat activity.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) “is actively coordinating with government, industry, and international partners to share actionable intelligence and strengthen collective defense,” CISA spokesperson Marci McCarthy said in a statement. “There are currently no specific credible threats against the homeland.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem spoke to state governors and local officials about the potential threats on Sunday, and security teams were closely coordinating to monitor for suspicious activity.
“There are no known credible threats to New Yorkers at this time. However, we are operating at heightened awareness, including protections against tactics, techniques and procedures that have previously been used by Iran and their allies,” said Scott Reif, chief communications officer at New York State’s Office of Information Technology Services. “As always, we remain in close contact with our federal, state and local partners on any new or evolving cybersecurity-related issues.“
Widespread internet restrictions in Iran, which Tehran imposed at the start of the conflict with Israel, could be constraining hackers’ activities. A report from internet monitoring firm Censys on Monday said Iran has been in a near-total internet blackout since June 18.
The Information Technology Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the Food and Agriculture Information Sharing and Analysis Center said Monday that they had not seen any confirmed attacks against either sector in connection with the Iran threat.
Researchers at Radware said they have observed a large increase in claimed distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) activity targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, including finance, government and military-linked manufacturing. Meanwhile, Israeli cyber firm Check Point Software reported that pro-Iran hacktivists were claiming responsibility for DDoS attacks on U.S. targets.
