Iranian Hackers Turn to Ransomware, Bitcoin as Economy Stalls

Threat comes as the U.S. moves to reimpose tough economic sanctions on the country

The Trump administration said it would soon restore sanctions against Iran. The WSJ's Gerald F. Seib looks at a possible reason behind the policy change. Photo: Getty

Iranian hackers are developing software attacks that render computer systems inoperable until a digital ransom is paid, a new report says, a threat that comes as the U.S. moves to reimpose tough economic sanctions on the country.

Over the past two years, researchers at Accenture PLC’s iDefense cybersecurity-intelligence group have tracked five new types of so-called ransomware they say were built by hackers in Iran. The ransomware appears to be an attempt to secure payments in digital currencies such as bitcoin, Jim Guinn,...