February 9, 2024 at 04:09PM
Iran’s offensive operations against Israel in the Israel-Hamas conflict quickly escalated and expanded, with cyberattacks and influence operations increasing. Iranian threat actors coordinated with Hamas and expanded their targets to Albania, Bahrain, and the US. The collaboration between Iranian threat actors increased, leading to higher effectiveness. The increased collaboration poses a greater threat in 2024.
From the meeting notes, it is clear that Iran’s offensive cyber operations against Israel were initially reactive and chaotic, lacking coordination with Hamas. However, these operations quickly ramped up in scale and scope. By late October, nearly all major cyber and influence actors from Iran were targeting Israel.
As the conflict progressed, Iran’s offensive cyber operations expanded to target countries such as Albania, Bahrain, and the US. There was also observed collaboration between Iranian threat actors, resulting in higher effectiveness and more targeted cyber operations.
The observed Iranian cyber operations focused on destabilization through exaggeration, retaliation to Israeli attacks, and aimed to undermine Israeli security and intimidate the country’s citizens and international supporters. Iran has also been impersonating their enemies and friends, and increasingly using bulk text message and email campaigns to enhance the effect of their operations.
The increased collaboration among different Iranian threat actors is expected to pose greater threats in 2024, making the threat environment more complex and intertwined. Furthermore, the activity is projected to become more targeted, collaborative, and destructive in the future.
This comprehensive analysis indicates the evolving nature of Iranian cyber operations and their potential impact on global security, particularly in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict and its broader implications.