Over the past six months, cyber security firms and technology companies have exposed extensive Iranian cognitive-related activity in cyberspace aimed primarily at the American public, with Iran’s seeking to exacerbate internal US debates between diff
Iran’s Cyber influence Campaign against the United States, and Implications for Israel’s Security
In recent months, the increasingly tense relations between Tehran and Washington have been manifested again in cyberspace. Over the past six months, cyber security firms and technology companies have exposed extensive Iranian cognitive-related activity in cyberspace aimed primarily at the US public. Fire-Eye Ltd., a cyber security company, issued a warning about many fake news sites and profiles on Facebook and Twitter that in its assessment were operated by the Iranian regime as part of its cyber influence campaign. Cyber influence efforts were also exposed by Twitter, which posted one million Tweets generated by fake accounts; Facebook, too, announced it had deleted dozens of fake profiles.
These revelations come on the heels of other warnings regarding Iranian activity in cyberspace appearing in annual summaries published in November 2018 by Fire-Eye and Fortinet, another cyber security outfit, and a current study released by the US think tank Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. These publications all describe Iran as an increasingly aggressive player in cyberspace.
