SAN FRANCISCO: Businesses and government agencies in the US have been targeted in aggressive attacks by Iranian and Chinese
hackers who security experts believe have been energised by Trump’s withdrawal from the
Iran nuclear deal last year and his trade conflicts with
China.
Recent Iranian attacks on American banks, businesses and government agencies have been more extensive than previously reported. Dozens of corporations and multiple US agencies have been hit, according to seven people briefed on the episodes who were not authorised to discuss them publicly.
The attacks, attributed to Iran by analysts at the
National Security Agency and the private security firm
FireEye, prompted an emergency order by the Department of Homeland Security during the government shutdown last month.
The Iranian attacks coincide with a renewed Chinese offensive geared toward stealing trade and military secrets from American military contractors and technology companies, according to nine intelligence officials, private security researchers and lawyers familiar with the attacks who discussed them on the condition of anonymity because of confidentiality agreements.