- Cyberattacks escalate alongside U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran.
- Iran-linked hackers target companies including Stryker and Verifone.
- Israeli cyber operations use AI, hacked apps and surveillance systems.
- Pro-Iran and pro-Russian hacktivist groups target Israeli organisations.
The US-Israel war with Iran is being fought on three fronts: in the air, at sea and online. As missiles and drones exchange across the Middle East, a parallel cyberwar is accelerating on both sides of the conflict, drawing in corporate victims, hacktivist groups and the most advanced AI surveillance systems ever deployed in combat.
On Wednesday, Iran-aligned hackers disrupted operations at Stryker, one of America's largest medical technology companies, in an attack that hit its global Microsoft environment. Stryker said it found no ransomware or malware and believed the incident was contained. The same group claimed a separate breach of payments firm Verifone, which found no evidence of disruption.
Iran's Cyber Strategy: Asymmetric by Design
Iran-aligned hackers and self-described hacktivist groups have intensified operations against targets in the Middle East, the US and parts of Asia since the February 28 airstrikes, according to CrowdStrike. The IRGC-linked group Hydro Kitten has signalled plans to hit the financial sector. Dozens of pro-Iran hacktivist groups claim they have struck Israeli payment systems, Kuwaiti government websites and airport services.
Pro-Russian hackers NoName057(16) joined Iranian hacktivists on March 2 to target Israeli defence organisations including contractor Elbit Systems a convergence of Russian and Iranian cyber interests that researchers at Flashpoint said was significant.
Israel's Offensive: AI, Cameras and Prayer Apps
Israel's cyber operations have been considerably more sophisticated. The Israeli military hacked a popular Iranian prayer app to send defection notices to potentially millions of military phones. Iranian state news sites were hijacked to display articles discrediting the regime. And Israel had access to nearly all of Tehran's traffic cameras intelligence it used, in partnership with the CIA, to locate and kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Benjakob added that Israel is likely significantly further ahead than the US in developing AI systems for military use. Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs, confirmed that US Cyber Command and Space Command were among the first military units to act when strikes on Iran began last month.
Also Read: Israel Strikes 200 Targets In Iran, Hits Nuclear-Linked Parchin Site
Iran, meanwhile, has been under near-total internet blackout since the first strikes limiting the flow of information out of the country even as its hackers operate beyond its borders.
