An American company accused pro-Iranian hackers of being behind a cyber attack aimed at preventing an Iranian opposition group in Albania from holding a conference, as the attack resulted in the closure of several digital services and websites of the Albanian government in mid-July.
A leading US cybersecurity company said Thursday that a cyber attack that temporarily shut down several digital services and websites of the Albanian government in mid-July was likely the work of pro-Iranian hackers seeking to disrupt a conference of an Iranian opposition group in Albania.
In its report, Mandiant expressed “reasonable confidence” that the perpetrators of the cyber attack carried it out in support of Tehran’s efforts against dissidents, based on several factors, including timing, the content of the social media channel used to claim responsibility, and similarities in the malware’s code with that used. Has long been to target Persian and Arabic speakers.
The conference, which was scheduled to be held by the Iranian splinter "People's Mujahedin" group on July 23-24, was canceled after warnings from local authorities of a potential terrorist threat.
About three thousand Iranian dissidents from the "People's Mujahedin" group reside in the "Ashraf 3" camp, located in the Maniz district, 30 km west of Tirana, the capital of Albania.
The "World Summit of a Free Iran" was to be held in the camp, in the presence of US lawmakers.
A group calling itself "Homeland Justice" claimed responsibility for the cyber attack, which used ransomware to falsify data.
Ransomware is notorious for its use in criminal extortion for profit, but it is increasingly being used for political purposes, particularly by Iran.
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