Iran threatens regional countries: Your existence at risk

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Iran warned against potential Israeli cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, including nuclear facilities, threatening regional countries of opening their borders to Israel.

Iranian Supreme National Security Council advisor Brigadier General Ali Akbar Ahmadian stated, "We caution nations that permit Israel to establish cybersecurity centers as they pose a significant danger," referencing the 2008 attack on the Natanz nuclear facility using the Stuxnet virus, which destroyed thousands of centrifuge devices.

Ahmadian emphasized that the Stuxnet virus reportedly infected around 45,000 computers, with approximately 60% located at the Natanz nuclear site in Isfahan province.

He added, "Unfortunately, these platforms have been utilized in acts of sabotage, espionage, and terrorism, such as the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus and the targeted killings of Palestinians," noting that "Iran has been a victim of numerous cyberattacks by the United States and Israel over the years. "

The Iranian official clarified, "Countries must ensure that by opening their borders to the Israeli regime, they are inadvertently facilitating a severe security threat, with the potential for espionage on their citizens and officials being just one aspect of this danger," highlighting that "the broader concern lies in the survival and stability of these nations."

In a series of covert operations spanning over a decade, Israel has been implicated in a string of cyberattacks targeting Iran.

The first major incident dates back to June 2010, when the Stuxnet virus was discovered in computers at Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant. This virus, believed to be a joint creation of Israeli and American intelligence, spread to multiple facilities, impacting around 30,000 computers across at least 14 sites. The attack resulted in significant damage, including destroying approximately 1,000 centrifuges at Iran's Natanz enrichment facility.

Following this, in April 2011, Iran's cyber defense agency uncovered a virus named Stars, allegedly designed to infiltrate and disrupt nuclear facilities. The Iranian government pointed fingers at Israel and the US for this malicious cyber operation.

November 2011 marked the detection of Duqu, a virus closely related to Stuxnet, aimed at gathering critical data for future cyber assaults. Experts widely attribute this cyber espionage campaign to Israeli intelligence.

In April 2012, Iran accused Israel and the US of unleashing the Wiper malware, which targeted and erased data from computers belonging to vital Iranian institutions such as the Ministry of Petroleum and the National Iranian Oil Company.

Cyber warfare continued with the emergence of the Flame virus in May 2012, designed to steal sensitive government information.

Over the years, Iran has faced numerous cyber threats, including the blocking of a new Stuxnet variant in October 2018, which Iran again attributed to Israel. More recently, in May 2020, a cyber assault targeted computers controlling maritime traffic at Shahid Rajaee port on Iran's southern coast, causing delays and disruptions. While US officials hinted at Israeli involvement, Israel did not officially claim responsibility for the attack.

In October 2021, a cyberattack disrupted Iran's fuel purchase system, affecting all 4,300 petrol stations in the country.