Google detects Iranian hackers at work
Google said Wednesday that it has discovered and stopped a series of attempts to hack the accounts of tens of thousands of Iranian users in what the company believes is an attempt to influence the country's upcoming election.
"For almost three weeks, we have detected and disrupted multiple email-based phishing campaigns," Eric Grosse, the vice president for security engineering, wrote in a post on the company's blog.
The phishing campaigns are originating in Iran, targeting users there and representing a big surge in the region's hacking activity. They are apparently tied to Iran's presidential election Friday, Grosse said. "The timing and targeting of the campaigns suggest that the attacks are politically motivated," he said. He did not give further details.
