Iranian government blames 'foreign country' for hack-and

In a message to CyberScoop, the hactivists that took responsibility for the attack denied the Iranian government's claim.

The hack-and-leak of emails and other materials this weekend related to Iran’s nuclear program was the result of “unauthorized access from a specific foreign country,” the Iranian government said Sunday.

The statement came a day after a group calling itself “Black Reward” claimed to have hacked and stolen information related to “Iran’s public and private conversations with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” along with other materials, including construction plans, management and operational schedules and the “passports and visas of Iranian and Russian specialists” involved in the country’s nuclear program, according to a Google translation.

The group posted the materials to its Telegram channel and announced the hack on Twitter, urging people to review the files but with caution given the prevalence of malware in Iranian government systems.

https://twitter.com/black_reward/status/1583539226049536000?s=20&t=R1W_lgjWirnYzSrJ6Yc9vw

In response to a question sent via Telegram, the group told CyberScoop on Monday that “we are Iranian and whatever the Islamic Republic says is a lie. We fight against the regime in support of women, life, and freedom.” The message included the hashtag “#MashaAmini, a reference to the 22-year-old woman who died in police custody Sept. 16 after being arrested for allegedly violating rules related to how women are supposed to dress in public.

Her death sparked waves of protests — throughout Iran and around the world — that have continued for more than a month, and have been met with violent response from Iranian authorities.

The original message posted by Black Reward said they were “part of the Iranian hacker community and born from among you,” according to a Google translation. The group told CyberScoop it had no connection with other hacking groups that have claimed hacks on Iranian entities.

“What is important for us is the lives of our compatriots and their freedom,” the message to CyberScoop said. “Our brothers and sisters who are in prisons … . We no longer tolerate the Islamic Republic and fight them in any possible way.”

The hack is just the latest to target the Iranian government in the wake of Amini’s death. Multiple groups claimed hacks and DDoS attacks under the banner of Anonymous, the Record reported Sept. 21.

Iranian hackers, Handala, claim to compromise FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal data

The FBI said it was aware of hackers targeting Patel’s personal email, and that no government information was taken.

John Bolton indictment says suspected Iranian hackers accessed his emails, issued threats

US sanctions Russian, Iranian groups for election interference

Government

• FBI officials say AI is bolstering adversaries, emphasizing need to focus on cyber basics, patching

• CIA’s Michael Ellis says cyber intelligence is changing how the agency operates

• The G7 tells industry to hurry up and prep for post-quantum encryption

• Jail time for Maine child in 764 marks turning point in federal law enforcement

Technology

• FCC proposes public scorecard to rate telecoms on anti-robocall efforts

• Pegasus, NoviSpy variant spyware found on devices of Serbian activists

• Wyden seeks upgraded NSA security guidance on commercial VPN use

• The Collective Cyber Defense letter wrote your next vendor questionnaire

Threats

• Chinese espionage groups swarm to exploit triple-link chain of zero-days

• Microsoft discloses two actively exploited zero-days among 974 vulnerabilities

• Russian national extradited to US for alleged involvement in bank-account takeover scheme

• Attackers exploit zero-days in consistently besieged SonicWall product

Policy

• Whistleblower says USPS deploying new, ‘untested’ IT systems governing mail-in ballots

• Former sexual abuse victims say Grok used their images, videos to train deepfake capabilities

• Cyber threats nudge Trump to sign executive order on foreign equipment in U.S. energy infrastructure

• Election official says Tina Peters would be consultant, won’t have access to election systems