In a significant move reflecting heightened tensions, Iran’s cyber command has mandated that senior officials and their security teams refrain from using IT equipment linked to telecom networks. This directive underscores concerns about potential digital disruptions stemming from Israel’s recent military actions.
The directive was reported by Fars news agency on Tuesday, which is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The backdrop of this decision comes after Israel initiated Operation Rising Lion last Friday, aimed at targeting Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. On Tuesday, Iranian state media claimed that a new volley of missiles had been launched toward Israel, coinciding with explosions reported in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Concerns over cybersecurity
Lukasz Olejnik, a visiting senior research fellow at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, highlighted that this precautionary measure indicates a profound anxiety within Tehran regarding the vulnerability of ordinary devices to hacking and tampering. He stated,
“It suggests Tehran fears adversaries can use connected devices to track, intercept, or even target key officials.”
Israel’s capabilities and historical context
Israel has a history of utilizing connected devices for tactical advantages, as evidenced by an operation last September where explosive pagers were used to strike Hezbollah targets, resulting in nearly 3,000 injuries. This meticulously planned attack involved the detonation of minute quantities of explosives concealed within modified devices distributed among operatives.
Matt Pearl, the former director for emerging technologies at the National Security Council during the Biden administration, emphasized Israel’s formidable cyber prowess, noting,
“Israel is definitely a cyber superpower. I would put it, in many ways, in the category of the U.S. or [China], although smaller, just in terms of its overall capabilities.”
Both Iran and Israel are recognized as significant players in the realm of cybersecurity. Experts have asserted that cyber disruption and espionage often occur alongside direct military confrontations. Israel boasts a robust talent pool in cybersecurity, characterized by strong collaboration between government and industry, further enhancing its advanced technological capabilities for conducting sophisticated cyber operations.
While Iran presents a formidable challenge to Western nations—alongside countries like China, North Korea, and Russia—its cyber initiatives primarily emphasize espionage rather than aggressive disruption. The Iranian nuclear program has previously been subjected to one of the most notorious cyber offensives in history, with reports indicating that the U.S. and Israel were behind the Stuxnet malware attack in 2010, which inflicted significant damage to the nation’s nuclear endeavors.