The reckless hackers worse than hostile cyber states – and their targets

Detailed summary

Some independent hacktivist groups are unlikely to mind if attacks have fatal consequences, one expert said. 'They do not care about people’s safety and wellbeing' ...

Iranian hackers are expanding operations against the UK and allies to include soft civilian targets such as food, water and medicine, security experts believe, following a wave of attacks across Europe.

This week, France accused Tehran of responsibility for cyber attacks of “unprecedented scale and aggression” on supermarket fridges last month, which destroyed thousands of tonnes of food, and also affected blood banks. Seven European countries were hit by a similar attack last week that caused losses at hundreds of stores.

Europe’s top cybersecurity official warned this week that Iranian operations could target internet-connected devices in private citizens’ homes next. “Today it was fridges, tomorrow it could be routers, the day after tomorrow it could be home appliances,” said Juhan Lepassaar, executive director of EU cybersecurity agency ENISA.

The British government has described Iran as a leading source of cyber attacks, and noted that the threat has increased since the US and Israel launched a war against the country in February. Iran has said the UK is a “legitimate target” after allowing the US to use British air bases for bombing raids.

The Islamic Republic is suspected of carrying out an attack in August that shut down a UK power plant for four days in the first case of its kind.

Recent attacks suggest a change in approach as hackers go beyond critical infrastructure to seek out softer targets, experts believe.

Dr Andreas Krieg, a Middle East specialist at the School of Security Studies, King’s College London, said: “What concerns me most is the choice of targets. We tend to think about cyber warfare in terms of attacks on national electricity grids or government computer systems. Iran is demonstrating that much softer civilian infrastructure can be equally attractive.

“Supermarket refrigeration, local electricity generators, water treatment, food distribution, ports, hospitals, pharmaceutical storage and logistics networks all offer opportunities for disruption.

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