The Iranian Cyber Army is an Iranian computer hacker group. It is thought to be connected to the Iranian government, although it is not officially recognized as an entity by the government.[1] It has pledged loyalty to Supreme Leader of Iran.[2][failed verification]
According to Tehran Bureau, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard initiated plans for the formation of an Iranian Cyber Army in 2005. The organisation is believed to have been commanded by Mohammad Hussein Tajik until his assassination.[3][4]
The group has claimed responsibility for several attacks conducted over the Internet since 2009, most notably attacks against Baidu and Twitter.[5] The attack against Baidu resulted in the so-called Sino-Iranian Hacker War. In 2012, a group self-identified as "Parastoo" (Persian: پرستو - Swallow) hacked the International Atomic Energy Agency's servers: the Iranian Cyber Army is suspected of being behind the attack.[6]
In 2013, a general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards stated that Iran had "the 4th biggest cyber power among the world's cyber armies", a claim supported by the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Lukich, Alex (July 12, 2011). "The Iranian Cyber Army". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ Arthur, Charles (December 18, 2009). "Twitter hack by 'Iranian Cyber Army' is really just misdirection". The Guardian. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Iran creates 'Cyber Brigades' for online war". Al Arabiya. December 5, 2016.
Al Arabiya.net has previously revealed in a special report published last September, the assassination of 35-year-old Tajik, the former commander of the 'Cyber Army' of the Ministry of intelligence after he was accused of spying and purveying security information to opposition activists of the 'Green Movement.' Tajik was also a member of the intelligence units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Quds Forces.
- ^ Hamid, Saleh (January 15, 2017). "Secret details emerge on Iran's Cyber Army". Al Arabiya. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- ^ Rezvaniyeh, Farvartish (February 26, 2010). "Pulling the Strings of the Net: Iran's Cyber Army". Tehran Bureau. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ Lake, Eli (May 12, 2012). "Did Iran's Cyber-Army Hack Into the IAEA's computers?". the Daily Beast. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Israeli Think Tank Acknowledges Iran as Major Cyber Power, Iran Claims its 4th Biggest Cyber Army in World". HackRead. October 18, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
