Iran International:

ran trained most of its cyber might away from the United States toward Israel since the Gaza war began last year, according to a report by technology giant Microsoft.

"Iranian nation-state actors used ransomware in a cyber-enabled influence operation, marketing stolen Israeli dating website data," Microsoft said.

Following October 7, when Iran-backed Hamas led an attack on Israel, the report cites a marked increase in cyber operations aimed at Israel. From October 7, 2023 to July 2024, "nearly half of the Islamic Republic's cyber operations… targeted Israeli companies", it said.

Iran's cyber efforts are not confined to Israel. The report adds that Iranian and Russian actors are leveraging the ongoing conflicts to spread "divisive and misleading messages through propaganda campaigns" beyond the immediate geographical boundaries of the conflicts.

Microsoft emphasized the continued targeting of the US and Persian Gulf nations, particularly the UAE and Bahrain due to their normalization of ties with Israel.

Cyber defense chief Gaby Portnoy warned in June that since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, cyberattacks by Iran have become more aggressive, targeting not only Israel but also its allies.

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