The United States government is bracing for potential cyberattacks from Iran, though no credible threat against critical infrastructure has been discovered, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warning issued Saturday, January 4, 2020.
Related: DHS issues CISA Insights document outlining Iran's cyberattack skills and proactive cybersecurity steps organizations should take.
Moreover, President Donald Trump says the United States is prepared to target 52 Iranian sites if Iran launches any types of attacks against U.S. targets.
For MSSPs (managed security services providers), the warnings are a healthy reminder to double check business continuity, threat detection, disaster recovery and distributed denial of service (DDoS) mitigation plans -- both within MSSP operations and extending out to end-customer systems.
U.S. vs Iran: Cyberattack Warning Background
The DHS warning surfaced two days after the United States launched a lethal strike in Iraq, killing Iranian IRGC-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani while Soleimani was in Iraq, the warning states. The U.S. is also warning organizations that Iran's cyber expertise should not be underestimated, stating:
"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."
Iranian hackers have previously launched successful cyberattacks against U.S. and international targets. According to Crain's New York Business:
U.S. vs Iran: More Cyberattack History
Iran has also targeted political figures and leaders. A hacking group tied to the Iranian government reportedly made unsuccessful attempts to break into President Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign infrastructure, MSSP Alert noted in 2019.
On the flip side, the U.S. from time to time has also launched cyberattacks against Iran, according to multiple reports.
Governments and international organizations are taking extra precautions amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran. For instance, NATO has suspended a training mission for soldiers in the Iraqi army in the wake of the U.S. strike that killed Iran's Soleimani, AP reports.
U.S. vs Iran Cyberattacks: MSSP Defense Strategies
For MSSPs and end-customers, the DHS warning provides a timely reminder: Document all of the business services you leverage, the associated vendor relationships, and workarounds in case those services are disabled.
Among the key areas of concern, according to MSSP Alert:
MSPs Fighting Cyberattacks: Basic First Steps
To get ahead of cyber threats, MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E have recommended that readers:
