Threat of Iranian cyberattacks looms

Hackers aligned with the Iranian government reportedly launched a major campaign of cyberattacks ahead of renewed U.S. sanctions against the country. The cybersecurity firm FireEye warned this week that a group of hackers it calls APT-33 was targeting Middle Eastern energy firms and others. FireEye said the recent attacks only involved hackers stealing information from infected computers. But cybercriminals previously used a similar type of malware to destroy thousands of terminals in Saudi Arabia. The firm warned of heightened danger ahead of the United States reimposing sanctions on the Iranian oil industry in November. Iran quickly rejected FireEye’s report, calling it “categorically false.”