Report: Iran may evolve into hacking superpower

In a report that documents the activities of the Iranian Ajax Security Team, FireEye contends that Iran-based hacker groups are becoming increasingly more sophisticated in their attacks and could mirror the evolution of elite Chinese hacking organizations to become a hacking superpower.

While FireEye stops short of making a connection between the hackers and the Iranian government, the report notes “the objectives of these groups are consistent with Iran's efforts at controlling political dissent and expanding offensive cyber capabilities.”

In a Tuesday email correspondence with SCMagazine.com, Darien Kindlund, director of threat research at FireEye, said the company believes “Iran is increasingly reaching to hacker groups within the country” which “coincides with a shift among some groups, such as Ajax Security Team, from website defacements to cyber espionage activity.”